Kwestie Turkije - Cyprus

[KapiteinRob]

Stop threats to Cyprus, EU to tell Turkey

Want anders? Roepen we BOE (nadat we daar overeenstemming hebben bereikt)?

[jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter)]

PREVIEW: Stop threats to Cyprus, EU to tell Turkey

By Alvise Armellini Oct 9, 2011, 13:45 GMT

Brussels - The European Union's executive is this week set to warn Ankara against carrying out further threats to Cyprus as it considers alternative ways to strengthen ties with an increasingly assertive Turkey following stalled accession talks.

Turkey has threatened to break off relations with the EU if the Republic of Cyprus - with which it is sparring over offshore gas and oil drilling - takes over the rotating presidency of the bloc in the second half of 2012.

In response, the European Commission is due to urge 'the avoidance of any kind of threat, source of friction or action that could damage good neighbourly relations and the peaceful settlement of disputes,' according to a draft document seen by dpa.

While Turkey's relations with Israel continue to worsen, and the country pursues contacts with Western pariahs such as Syria and Iran, the EU executive is also expected to call for the 'increased coordination' of Turkish and EU foreign policies.

Those messages are due to be delivered Wednesday, when the commission presents its annual report on countries hoping to join the bloc.

Turkey's EU bid is stumped by the so-called Cypriot question, but also by opposition from France and Germany, the two most influential members of the bloc.

'It has regrettably not been possible' to move forwards EU-Turkey accession talks 'for over a year,' the EU is set to acknowledge, proposing to reverse the trend with 'a new constructive phase in relations.'

One EU official said the commission would like to informally promote economic and trade ties, as well as increase EU visa application centres, while a visa-scrapping deal and formal talks on EU accession remain blocked.

It remains to be seen whether that would be enough for Turkey, which is gaining more and more influence in the Middle East.

The EU enlargement report is to be published against the backdrop of a deepening economic crisis, which is lessening EU members' appetite to let new nations into their club following Croatia's planned accession in 2013.

Reflecting such concerns, EU officials say there is still no consensus on whether the commission should say that Montenegro - another former Yugoslav nation - is ready to start accession talks, despite the report certifying its 'overall satisfactory' progress on meeting the conditions.

Recommendations on Serbia, which after having arrested Ratko Mladic and another war crimes suspect is looking to be rewarded with an EU candidate status - are also controversial.

Energy Commissioner Guenther Oettinger - a German - is among those in the EU executive calling for caution on Serbia and Montenegro, officials say.

A final decision on the two countries' prospects is to be made by EU leaders in December, based on what the commission proposes on Wednesday.

The Brussels-based body is also set to lament insufficient reforms in Kosovo, Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as the deadlock on Macedonia's name, over which Greece is blocking the start of the country's EU accession talks.

Iceland, which applied to join the EU in 2009, has since made small progress due to a public opinion backlash owing to concerns about a loss of sovereignty over fisheries and a row with Britain and the Netherlands over the collapse of Icesave bank.

Noting that 'the dispute remains unresolved,' the commission is expected to back the view that Iceland breached European Free Trade Association rules by guaranteeing only the deposits of domestic clients of collapsed Icelandic banks.

That left British and Dutch authorities compensating nationals who had been burned out by Icesave. They want Iceland to refund them the money - about 3.8 billion euros (5 billion dollars).

http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/europe/news/article_1667627.php/PREVIEW-Stop-threats-to-Cyprus-EU-to-tell-Turkey

[Lex]

ANALYSIS-Turkey-Cyprus spat a sign of conflicts to come?

* Cyprus gas exploration fuels regional tensions

* Globally, maritime resource confrontations could rise

* Diplomacy key to avoiding outright conflict

LONDON, Oct 6 (Reuters) - With an emerging power testing its strength, valuable resources in the balance and a weakened West struggling to exert influence, the dispute between Turkey and Cyprus over gas drilling may be a sign of wider things to come.

In Southeast Asia, the Arctic, and perhaps also Africa and Latin America, disputed maritime boundaries may become flashpoints as rising scarcity of energy and other resources coincide with a shift in the geopolitical balance of power.

The United States and other Western powers,their relative influence waning, may have to play a subtle diplomatic game to ensure conflict is avoided and important relationships are not jeopardised.

"What we're seeing here is theatrics," says Thomas Barnett, US-based chief strategist for political risk consultancy Wikistrat. "The trick here is to manage it."

In the short term, the Cyprus dispute has produced what increasingly looks like one of the most complex naval and political face-offs in the Mediterranean in years.

Western diplomats have watched with alarm as Turkey has sent naval vessels to escort an exploration vessel into waters it believes belong to Turkish-backed northern Cyprus. That move appeared to be a retaliation for drilling by U.S. company Noble Energy in waters internationally recognised as belonging to the Cypriot government.

Defence sources in the region said Turkey had dispatched a corvette and a frigate to accompany its exploration vessel, the Piri Reis, which had last week come within a distance of 10 km of the offshore plot claimed by Greek Cypriots to drill for gas.

Adding to the mix was a Russian ship, U.S. vessels on patrol west of Cyprus and the presence of unspecified Israeli defence assets. Israel controls a vast offshore prospect close to the Greek Cypriot drill.

U.S. reconnaissance planes circled the rig on at least two occasions, they said. "The presence of the U.S. aircraft was probably a message that they will safeguard U.S. interests," a defence source in the region said, speaking on condition of anonymity.


"A BIG DEAL"

Britain, Turkey and Greece became guarantor powers of Cyprus's unity when the island won independence of Britain in 1960. But Britain was unable to prevent partition of the island 14 years later when Turkish troops invaded in response to a short-lived coup by Greek Cypriots aimed at union with Greece.

Britain retains military bases on the island, that once stamped its power in the eastern Mediterranean; but London's influence has eroded, while others appear to shape events.

The gas issue has become a bone of contention between Turkey and Israel, whose long-term alliance has frayed since Israel's military campaign against Gaza in 2008/9.

Israel is drilling nearby in its Leviathan gasfield, described as one of the largest offshore fields of its type found worldwide in the past decade.

"This is a big deal, said Nikolas Gvosdev, professor of National Security studies at the U.S. Naval War College in Rhode Island. "With overlapping territorial disputes and with warships escorted oil drilling vessels, the prospects of a clash increase... This puts the U.S. in a very delicate position, between its long-standing alliance with Israel and its NATO commitments to Turkey."

With any naval activities largely taking place offshore and out of sight, knowing exactly what is happening is almost impossible. But in nearby Greece, struggling under its own debt crisis and massive austerity measures but with its own history of confrontation with Turkey, there is already talk that the rising crisis means any defence cuts should be put to one side.

Cyprus too faces financial and domestic problems, its banking system heavily exposed to Greece and ruling coalition struggling amid disagreements over reunification talks.

An explosion of seized Iranian munitions bound for Syria in July at the naval base at which they were being stored also heavily damaged the island's largest power station, leading to sporadic power cuts and local political recriminations.

"There's definitely a declining West story here," said David Lea, Western Europe analyst at Control Risks. "The Americans and also the British have much less influence and are much less able to act... Both Greece and Cyprus have a vested interest in having some kind of foreign policy distraction from their financial problems at home."


SHARING THE RICHES, INFLUENCE

But Turkey's relative rise is at least as important as Western decline, most observers say. With European Union membership no longer on the cards and strong economic growth increasing his bargaining power, Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan has increasingly sought to position the country as an independent force in the Middle East and wider world.

The latter part of that description could equally be applied to a number of other emerging powers, not least China.

Beijing has been involved in a growing number of face-offs with neighbours in recent years over mineral and fishing rights, most recently Vietnam. Outside analysts say these are often originally spurred as much by private actors -- fishing boats or exploration vessels -- as deliberate policy, but again offer a podium on which Beijing can showcase its growing clout.

Other areas to watch, analysts say, might include Russia's growing assertiveness in the Arctic and perhaps Argentinian interest in the British-controlled Falklands, particularly in the event of energy discoveries there. Increased energy discoveries of Africa's coastline could also spark disputes.

But fears of a new era of "resource wars", Wikistrat's Barnett says, might still be overblown.

In the long run, he said a more assertive Turkey could prove a positive for both the U.S. and Israel, acting as a regional counterweight to Iran and Saudi Arabia, and that the important thing was to manage its rise.

"My instinct is that this is a storm in a tea cup," Barnett says of the Cyprus dispute. "You could make comparisons from this to what we are seeing in the South China Sea (and) in both cases the ultimate answer is probably the same -- some kind of shared corporation agreement... It might sound a long way off now, but it should happen with time."

The need for the West, he said, was to learn to reach out subtly and diplomatically to emerging powers like Turkey as Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger did with China in the 1970s, soothing egos and helping nudge them towards co-operation.

Not everyone is so confident outright bloodshed will always be avoided. With the financial crisis aftermath and rise of new powers producing what analyst Ian Bremmer calls a rudderless "G-zero" world with much less leadership and international agreement, the risk of miscalculation remains.

"Absent the U.S. acting as an effective global policeman and with global institutions not reflecting the existing balance of power, we get local security arrangements... cobbled together," said Bremmer, president of political risk consultancy Eurasia Group. "That takes time -- and frequently isn't as effective -- which gets you more conflict."

Reuters,
Thu Oct 6, 2011 8:54am GMT

[Ace1]

ik denk dat de Russen interesse hebben in de olie en gasvelden bij Cyprus en vandaar dat ze Cyprus een lening met lage rente verstrekken.

[Jooop]

Ik denk dat de Russen zich meer interesseren in Syrië dan Cyprus.
Syrië is/was in de Russische invloed sfeer en nu is Turkije bezig met een embargo tegen Syrië om het regime omver te helpen (met hulp van USA). Ik vind het niet verwonderlijk dat de Russen zich nu openlijk gaan vertonen. Het machtsspel is in volle gang.

[jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter)]

De Russische betrokkenheid zal ook te maken hebben met....(naast de al lange relatie met Cyprus..ook qua militair materiaal)

http://www.nu.nl/economie/2611489/cyprus-onderhandelt-russische-lening.html

Daarnaast biedt het voor de Russen een uitstekende gelegenheid voor een potje stategisch Turken pesten.

De Russen (net als het westen) zien immers met lede ogen toe hoe Turkije zich momenteel overgeeft aan Ottomaanse inspiraties.

[Elzenga]

De Russische betrokkenheid zal ook te maken hebben met....(naast de al lange relatie met Cyprus..ook qua militair materiaal)

http://www.nu.nl/economie/2611489/cyprus-onderhandelt-russische-lening.html

[jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter)]

Greece and Russia rally behind Cyprus

By Jean Christou Published on October 2, 2011

GREECE AND Russia rallied behind Cyprus yesterday in the island's rights to explore for hydrocarbons in its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and to condemn Turkish threats as the Cyprus Republic turned 51.

Greek Minister of National Defence Panos Beglitis, who attended yesterday's parade, told reporters: "We are in close cooperation with Cyprus' leadership, we are watching Turkey's actions very closely, in a composed and decisive manner and I would like once again to denounce statements often made by the Turkish political leadership, as well as the policies followed."

Russian Ambassador to Cyprus Vyacheslav Shumskiy said Moscow's position was "absolutely clear" on the issue. "We were among the first countries to comment on that, and we totally support the sovereign right of the Cypriot people for exploitation of natural resources , this is totally in accordance with the international law  and with the EU regulations, so there is no doubt about that," he said.

The comments came amid increasing reports of military activity around the area of Block 12 within the Cyprus EEZ where American company Noble Energy has begun drilling.

Also the New York Times reported that NATO's secretary general, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, had expressed disquiet about tensions over natural gas exploration in the Mediterranean between a newly assertive Turkey and Cyprus, as well as Turkey's strained relations with Israel, saying that they were both "a matter of concern."

Rasmussen said he did not foresee the tension turning into conflict, and he praised Turkey as an indispensable member of NATO that could be "a bridge" between the West and the Arab countries now engaged in revolts.

"Obviously the tensions between Turkey and Israel are a matter of concern," he said in an interview in Brussels. "It's a bilateral issue, NATO is not going to interfere with that," he added, "but it is the interest of the alliance to see these tensions eased, because Turkey is a key ally and Israel is a valuable partner for the alliance." 

Asked about Turkey's warning that it might send military ships toward Cyprus, Rasmussen said that "NATO as an organization is not going to interfere with these disputes," while adding, "I do not envisage armed conflict in the eastern part of the Mediterranean."

Yesterday local daily Phileleftheros reported that Turkey planned to escalate its activities in and around the Nicosia Flight Information region (FIR) with a series of military night-time "search and rescue" exercises stretching between Akrotiri – south of Limassol - and Noble's rig the Homer Ferrington, which is around 160 km off the coast.

The paper also said that Israel was monitoring the Turkish moves with unmanned drones circling the drilling area.

Meanwhile under the headline "The Russians are coming', daily Politis yesterday said the Russian aircraft carrier 'Admiral Kuznetsov' was expected in the eastern Mediterranean region next month.

An officer of the Russian fleet, speaking to the ITAR-Tass news agency reportedly said that the aircraft would arrive in the region on November 19 for three months, carrying with it a large number of Russian fighters. A submarine was also mentioned for "patrol purposes" as part of exercises with other countries in the area. Politis said the arrival of the Russians coincided with the expected announcement by Noble of its initial drilling results.

Asked yesterday about the possible visit by the Admiral Kuznetsov, Russian ambassador Shumskiy said he had no such information but would be available to comment once he was briefed.

"This is news to me, I don't have anything official about that, absolutely nothing, so far it's news to me," he said.

Shumskiy did say he thought Turkey's stance was not a "wise one", although he added that he did not see the situation becoming "hot".

President Demetris Christofias yesterday repeated that Cyprus' sovereignty was non-negotiable and that the Republic would not consider any form of arbitration or mediation in exploration issue.

He did however extend a comment to the Turkish Cypriots, saying that a discovery of oil and gas would be a "blessing" for the entire peoples of Cyprus. He urged that the matter become a catalyst for a Cyprus solution rather than an obstacle.

Christofias attended the parade, along with Archbishop Chrysostomos as well as Greek National Defence Minister Panos Beglitis, and diplomats.

The day was not without incident however when a small group from the 'Indignant' protesting against the Mari blast events tried to approach the officials' platform, and clashed with the police.

"Police members tried to stop this group... one of them tried to break through the police barrier. A police officer tried to stop him and in doing so the member of the public fell on the ground and claimed he was hit by police," spokesperson Michalis Katsounotos said.

The report into the Mari blast compiled by investigator Polys Polyviou, comes out tomorrow.


http://www.cyprus-mail.com/cyprus/greece-and-russia-rally-behind-cyprus/20111002

[Lex]

Dit topic begint neigingen te vertonen in de richting van het grote straaljager topic, oftewel "vervanging F-16's".
Ik wil jullie verzoeken de opmerkingen in dit topic te beperken tot de kwestie Turkije-Cyprus.

Lex
Algeheel beheerder

[Ace1]

De piloten van de Israëlise luchtmacht hebben in ieder geval ballen en in Turkije had men dat niet verwacht en men doet het daar nu in hun broek.
En mocht het een conflict worden dan verwacht ik, dat beter getrainde piloten van de IAF met de F15C´s, de Turkse F16´s de baas zijn.

Ik denk dat traing en ervaring hier een doorslaggevende rol spelen indien deze "grappen" escaleren... daarnaast is de F15C in veel opzichten elke variant van de F16 de baas.

Klopt Jurrien, ik heb even lopen googlen en kwam dit tegen.

The F-15 in all air forces had a combined air-to-air combat record of 104 kills to 0 losses as of February 2008. No air superiority versions of the F-15 (A/B/C/D models) have been shot down by enemy forces. Over half of F-15 kills were achieved by Israeli Air Force pilots.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McDonnell_Douglas_F-15_Eagle#cite_note-Reformers-62

en met googlen kwam ik trouwens nog iets interesants tegen.

http://www.airforce-magazine.com/MagazineArchive/Pages/2008/February%202008/0208reformers.aspx

Ik ben van mening dat de Turkse Luchtmacht word afgeslacht  door de IAF

[jurrien visser (JuVi op Twitter)]

De piloten van de Israëlise luchtmacht hebben in ieder geval ballen en in Turkije had men dat niet verwacht en men doet het daar nu in hun broek.
En mocht het een conflict worden dan verwacht ik, dat beter getrainde piloten van de IAF met de F15C´s, de Turkse F16´s de baas zijn.

Ik denk dat training en ervaring hier een doorslaggevende rol spelen indien deze "grappen" escaleren... daarnaast is de F15C in veel opzichten elke variant van de F16 de baas.

[Ace1]

De piloten van de Israëlise luchtmacht hebben in ieder geval ballen en in Turkije had men dat niet verwacht en men doet het daar nu in hun broek.
En mocht het een conflict worden dan verwacht ik, dat beter getrainde piloten van de IAF met de F15C´s, de Turkse F16´s de baas zijn.

[VandeWiel]

Turkish Vatan daily published a story on Friday referring to a story by the Greek Cypriot daily Phileleftheros, which argued that Israel boosted its presence in the Eastern Mediterranean as of Thursday night. The report said the two F-15 jets that took off from Tel Aviv flew through the Greek Cypriot and the Turkish Cypriot airspaces. The jets reportedly ignored warnings from the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (KKTC) officials and got so close to Turkey's Mediterranean coasts that they could be even seen from Mersin's beaches, the report said. Turkey then reportedly sent two F-16 jets to the area to track the Israeli jets, which then returned to Israel.
http://www.todayszaman.com/news-258413-report-israeli-warplanes-harassed-turkish-seismic-ship-off-east-med.html

Indien dit waar is dan zou dit mogelijk een bewijs kunnen zijn van het bestaan van een defensiepact tussen Griekenland en Israel wat significante betekenis zou hebben. Natuurlijk kan het ook gewoon een standaard oefenvlucht zijn geweest....

[VandeWiel]

The Turkish General Staff has denied news reports which claimed that a Turkish seismic research ship which is exploring gas near Cyprus was harassed by two low-flying Israel warplanes and a helicopter on Thursday night.

A written statement posted on the website of the General Staff on Friday said that the reports do not reflect the truth.

Turkish Vatan daily published a story on Friday referring to a story by the Greek Cypriot daily Phileleftheros, which argued that Israel boosted its presence in the Eastern Mediterranean as of Thursday night. The report said the two F-15 jets that took off from Tel Aviv flew through the Greek Cypriot and the Turkish Cypriot airspaces. The jets reportedly ignored warnings from the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (KKTC) officials and got so close to Turkey's Mediterranean coasts that they could be even seen from Mersin's beaches, the report said. Turkey then reportedly sent two F-16 jets to the area to track the Israeli jets, which then returned to Israel.

An Israeli military helicopter also flew over the Turkish research ship, Piri Reis, on Thursday night, according to the daily, as it was in the Aphrodite gas field, off Cyprus' southern coast and adjacent to the larger Leviathan field. The helicopter flew low over the ship for a long time, the report said.

Greek Cyprus has signed agreements to delineate undersea borders in the eastern Mediterranean with Israel, Lebanon and Egypt. A US company licensed by the Greek Cypriot government to drill for gas in the south of Cyprus, Noble Energy, operates with its Israeli partner, Delek.

In December 2010, Noble Energy announced that a gas reserve of 16 trillion cubic feet had been discovered off the coast of Israel, estimated to be worth more than $95 billion. Noble Energy owns nearly 40 percent of the prospective discovery in the Israeli section, alongside Israeli partners Delek Group Ltd. units Avner Oil and Gas LP and Delek Drilling LP, with 22.67 percent each.

In response, Turkey signed an oil and gas exploration deal with the Turkish Cypriots and sent a Turkish research ship to the Mediterranean to start exploration. Turkey opposes exploration of gas in the eastern Mediterranean, saying it has rights in the region as the biggest coastal state and that the Turkish Cypriots, who run a state that is not internationally recognized in the north of the island, should also be involved.

Cyprus is divided into a Greek Cypriot south and a Turkish Cypriot north. The southern administration began exploratory drilling for oil and gas last week, prompting strong protests from Turkey, which does not recognize the Greek Cypriot administration.



http://www.todayszaman.com/news-258413-report-israeli-warplanes-harassed-turkish-seismic-ship-off-east-med.html

[VandeWiel]

Turkish media reports Israeli F-15 jets and helicopter "harassed" Turkish ship exploring for gas in disputed area of Mediterranean off Cyprus coast.

Low-flying Israeli warplanes and helicopters "harassed" a Turkish ship exploring for natural gas reserves near Cyprus on Thursday night, according to Turkish media reports.

Today's Zaman, citing accounts in Turkish daily Vatan and Greek Cyptrio daily Phileleftheros, reported that two F-15 jets took off from Tel Aviv and flew through the airspace of both Greek Cyprus and Turkish-controlled northern Cyprus. The jets reportedly ignored warnings from officials of Turkish Cyprus.

According to the report, Turkey sent two F-16 jets to track the Israeli F-15s, which subsequently returned to Israel.

The report added that an Israeli military helicopter flew over the Turkish seismic research ship the Piri Reis, exploring for gas off of Cyprus's southern coast.

Turkey said on Tuesday it was exploring for gas in an offshore zone where Cyprus started drilling last week, a step that could escalate a dispute over Mediterranean resources.

Israel is also drilling nearby, and the issue has emerged as a further bone of contention between Turkey and the Jewish state. Long Israel's rare Middle East ally, Ankara has downgraded ties in recent weeks over Israel's refusal to apologize for a deadly raid last year on a Turkish aid flotilla.

The question of who has the right to tap deposits in a region holding the world's biggest natural gas find of the past decade has added urgency to efforts to settle the conflict over Cyprus, divided since 1974 into Greek and Turkish enclaves.

The internationally-recognized Greek Cypriot government says it has a sovereign right to drill. Turkey, the only country to recognize a separate Turkish Cypriot state in the north of the island, says the island's status must be resolved first.

In Nicosia, the island's divided capital, Greek Cypriot leader Demetris Christofias and Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu resumed peace talks on Tuesday after a 10-day break for U.N. General Assembly deliberations.

The two sides are racing to make progress on complex reunification negotiations before a scheduled meeting with U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon at the end of October.

Last week, U.S.-based Noble Energy started drilling offshore on behalf of Cyprus in an area termed Block 12, south of the island. Turkey has pledged to drill for gas on behalf of Turkish Cypriots unless the Greek Cypriots stop.

"If the Greek Cypriots agree to stop, we'll stop too. But if they insist on proceeding, they know very well Turkey's attitude," Turkey's minister for European Affairs, Egemen Bagis, said on Tuesday during a visit to the island's north.

"We have to warn against Greek Cypriot provocation. The resources are not going anywhere, so why are they being used to block [Cyprus reunification] negotiations?"

Cyprus has refused to back down. "The Republic of Cyprus cannot be held hostage to illegal actions of Turkey, which continues to occupy (Cyprus) and violates its territorial integrity and the human rights of both Greek and Turkish Cypriots," said government spokesman Stefanos Stefanou.

"As an internationally recognized state, a member of the UN and the EU, the Republic of Cyprus is exercising its sovereign rights."



http://www.jpost.com/ArtsAndCulture/Arts/Article.aspx?id=240024