Kwestie Turkije - Cyprus

[Elzenga]

Een ander scenario zou kunnen zijn dat nu Griekenland in coma ligt Turkije de kans ziet liggen om een deel van de bodemschat op te eisen, desnoods met geweld. Een schermutseling zou het einde van het Griekse toerisme (en die van Cyprus) betekenen en dus indirect ook de EU (dat nog steeds Griekenland probeert te redden) treffen.
Nou, het zal niet de eerste keer zijn dat landen in onenigheid zijn voor verdeling van bodemschatten.

Vergeet dit voorval ook niet aub...http://nos.nl/artikel/255184-dodental-explosie-cyprus-stijgt-naar-12.html....ook Cyprus heeft daardoor reden om het hard te spelen nu...zowel Cyprus als Griekenland hebben ernstige problemen nu...en dat maakt landen niet altijd even terughoudend. Daarbij kan een extern conflict de aandacht van deze binnenlandse problemen afleiden...een vaker gebruikte formule.

[Jooop]

Een ander scenario zou kunnen zijn dat nu Griekenland in coma ligt Turkije de kans ziet liggen om een deel van de bodemschat op te eisen, desnoods met geweld. Een schermutseling zou het einde van het Griekse toerisme (en die van Cyprus) betekenen en dus indirect ook de EU (dat nog steeds Griekenland probeert te redden) treffen.
Nou, het zal niet de eerste keer zijn dat landen in onenigheid zijn voor verdeling van bodemschatten.

[Remmus]

De kern van het hele verhaal is volgens mij: Wie krijgt uiteindelijk de opbrengsten van deze "energiebubble". En die vraag speelt, voor zover ik weet, al vanaf het moment dat deze voorraad gevonden werd in, ik meen, 2002/2003. Misschien dat Turkije de huidige situatie in het Midden Oosten nu snel aangrijpt om haar slag te slaan. Voorheen probeerde zij het via het verkrijgen van lidmaatschap van de EU, echter ging dat erg moeizaam en nu doet zich ineens deze kans voor.

Ik speculeer ook maar wat...

[VandeWiel]

En de Cypriotische kant van zaken:


Cypriot Defence Minister Demetris Eliades discussed Friday with his Greek counterpart Panos Beglitis, Turkish threats concerning gas exploration plans by Cyprus in its Exclusive Economic Zone, along with other issues concerning defence cooperation and issues of common interest.

Speaking after a long meeting in Athens, Eliades said that Cyprus and Greece are in constant coordination about defense and other issues. He reiterated that the Republic of Cyprus exercises its sovereign rights in its EEZ, with full respect for the International Law and remains committed to stability of the region. He added that Turkey, due to the lack arguments and international legitimacy of its positions, challenges and threatens, noting that Cyprus will not follow that path.

"We remain committed to international law, within the framework of a responsible and composed behavior", he said adding that the international powers should protect the legitimate rights of the Republic in pursuit of its peaceful rights to use its national wealth.

The Greek Minister defended the sovereign right of Cyprus to proceed to energy researches, as established by the International Convention on the Law of the Sea and the UN Charter. Speaking about the recent Turkish threats, Beglitis said that Greece and Cyprus managed the situation "with the utmost composure and determination".


http://your-story.org/cyprus-defence-minister-discusses-turkish-threats-with-greek-defence-minister-267710/

[VandeWiel]

De Turkse kant van zaken:


UN calls for calm in Cyprus drill standoff

The United Nations on Friday called for a peaceful resolution to a growing dispute between Turkey and Greek Cyprus over offshore gas and oil exploration, saying any finds should benefit both sides of the divided island.

"It should be understood that natural resources, if they are discovered, would be for the benefit of all Cypriots – Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots – under the framework of a federal united Cyprus," said Lisa Buttenheim, special representative of U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who heads the U.N. peacekeeping mission on the island.

"The United Nations would appeal to all involved to resolve this matter in a peaceful manner," she said.

Despite the U.N. call, the Greek and Turkish sides continued making dueling statements over the contentious issue. Cyprus's internationally recognized Greek Cypriot government says it plans to go ahead with exploration for natural gas in the eastern Mediterranean Sea.

Turkey does not recognize Cyprus as a sovereign country and opposes any Greek Cypriot oil and gas search, insisting that Turkish Cypriots should also reap any windfall that may come from any discoveries. It also said drilling could damage long-running reunification talks.

Greek Cypriot Foreign Minister Erato Kozakou-Marcoullis said Friday that the international community has afforded Cyprus political protection for the search for mineral deposits inside its exclusive economic zone, which is near to sizable gas finds within Israeli waters. "At this moment, we have a very satisfactory shield of political support over these actions," she told state radio.

Texas-based Noble Energy is expected to start work imminently on a block southeast of the island. Its drilling rig was moved into position Thursday.

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu on Thursday held a telephone conversation with Ban's special advisor on Cyprus, Alexander Downer, Turkish diplomatic sources said. They said Davutoğlu and Downer discussed the latest developments on the island as well as settlement talks aimed at finding a solution to its ongoing division.

Turkish Cypriot and Greek Cypriot leaders meanwhile met Friday in the buffer zone in Nicosia as part of intensified talks. The talks will be suspended until Sept. 27 as Turkish Cypriot President Derviş Eroğlu and Greek Cypriot President Dimitris Christofias go to New York for the U.N. General Assembly. Eroğlu will fly to New York via Istanbul on Saturday.

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=un-calls-for-calm-in-cyprus-drill-standoff-2011-09-16

[VandeWiel]

Het vervelende is dat er bitter weinig concreet geschreven wordt over de situatie in Cyprus terwijl daar mogelijk het hele gebeuren om draait. Daarom wederom Debka met mogelijk achtergrond info over wat er mogelijk verplaatst wordt.



Israeli-Greek-Turkish air sea forces prepare for first Cypriot gas drilling

Military tension is building up among Greece, Turkey and Israel as Cyprus prepares to start exploratory drilling for gas offshore Monday, Sept. 19 in the face of threats from Ankara. All three have placed their air and sea forces in a state of preparedness along with the Cypriot army.
From Wednesday, Sept 14, Turkish warplanes and fighters kept watch on the Homer Ferrington rig belonging to Houston-based Noble Energy as it moved from Israel's offshore field Noa opposite Ashdod to Cyprus's Aphrodite (Block 12) field ready to start work.

It was the first time since the Mavis Marmara episode of May 2010 that Turkish warships came less than 80 kilometers from Israel's territorial waters. DEBKAfile's military sources report that Israeli missile ships and drones kept watch from afar on the Noble rig's movement and tracked Turkish surveillance.

As the rig moved into position opposite Cyprus, so too did two Turkish frigates. A Cypriot spokesman said Turkish warships and fighters had not entered the island's territorial waters.

Ankara questions the rights of Israel and Cyprus to drill for hydrocarbon reserves in the respective Exclusive Economic Zones marked out in an accord they concluded last year.

The UN-approved Law of the Sea authorizes nations to mark out their Exclusive Economic Zones for the exploration of natural resources to a distance of 200 miles outside their territorial waters. Israel has never signed this treaty.
Thursday, Sept. 15, in Tunis, Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan continued to inveigh against Israel declaring: "They will see what our decisions will be on this subject. Our navy attack ships can be there at any moment."

Without specifically mentioning Cyprus, he said: "Israel cannot do as it pleases in the Mediterranean" and "Turkey is committed to preserving the freedom of navigation in international waters."

Erdogan avoided linking Israel to the Turkish dispute with Greece and Greek Cyprus but is obviously galled by the connection and its three manifestations.

1.  Cyprus's Block 12 where drilling starts Monday borders on the huge Leviathan field Israel is developing in the eastern Mediterranean, whose proven gas reserves are calculated to be 8.5 trillion cubic feet. This would supply the entire US economy's needs for a year.
2.  Noble Energy of Houston has a license to drill in Cyrus's Aphrodite while the Israeli company Delek which is developing the Israeli offshore gas fields also has an option in the Cypriot field.
3.  Greece and Israel concluded a mutual defense pact on Sept. 4, 2011. Ten days later, Prime Ministers George Papandreou and Binyamin

Netanyahu agreed to activate the pact in the light of Turkish threats against Israel and to exploration activity in the Mediterranean basin.
Israel and Greece have therefore begun to coordinate their fleet movements in the eastern Mediterranean and around Cyprus.
Erdogan's threats were followed up this week by a Turkish Foreign Ministry statement saying:  "It has been agreed that Turkey and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus will conclude a continental shelf delimitation agreement should the Greek Cypriot administration proceed with offshore drilling activities in the south of the island."

Ankara's problem is that the Turkish Republic of Cyprus is not recognized by any country but Turkey.
Washington has not only given Noble Energy a green light to start drilling off Cyprus but backed it up with a State Department statement Thursday: "The US supports the efforts to enhance energy diversity in Europe, noting the fact a US company was involved was also positive."
Since last Tuesday, Sept. 13, Turkish troop reinforcements are reported by DEBKAfile's military sources as having landed in North Cyprus along with drilling equipment.

These preparations indicate that Turkey is planning to start drilling in the Cypriot EEZ without reference to Nicosia. This would mean that Prime Minister Erdogan, while spouting high-sounding pledges to "preserve "freedom of navigation in international waters," is preparing a wildcat breach of international law and treaties. Friday, the Greek government in Athens warned Ankara against pursuing this step.
However, it would be in keeping with his past defiance of international norms. Even though Turkey accepted the UN Palmer commission's mediation in its dispute with Israel over the flotilla escapade,  Erdogan declared its findings "null and void" –- after the panel ruled that Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip was legal and justified.

Next Monday, therefore, many eyes will be alertly watching to see what happens when the Noble rig starts drilling in Cyprus' Block 12 of the Mediterranean.

The Turkish prime minister has painted himself into a corner: If he orders his naval and/or air units to strike the American rig, he will have to take the consequences, possibly a confrontation with the US, Israel, Greece and Cyprus.
If he does nothing, or nothing more than a token drilling off the Turkish side of the island, he will lose face as a leader able to back up his threats.

He could take a third course like other Muslim rulers and vent his ire on Israel.
The guessing in Washington, NATO and Israel is that the most likely arena for a potential clash of arms in the Mediterranean is offshore Cyprus and it is most likely to evolve into sea and air confrontatons involving Turkey, Greece, Cyprus and Israel.

http://www.debka.com/article/21311/

[VandeWiel]

Het interview hier onder geeft aan wat er verder in de achtergrond nog speelt bij Turkije-Israel. Het interview is inmiddels een week oud, maar mogelijk een van de mede-redenen waarom Turkije zo agressief richt Israel is. Israel was de laatste tijd meer cozy met Griekenland en had ook een deal gesloten met cyprus voor de afbakening van gebieden om grondstoffen te winnen.

[VandeWiel]

Turkish minister warns Greek Cypriots about oil exploration in Mediterranean



Turkish EU Minister and Chief Negotiator Egemen Bağış has issued a warning to the Greek Cypriot administration, saying that Turkey will not hesitate to deploy war ships in the Mediterranean if Greek Cypriots enter Turkish terrestrial waters during their oil exploration efforts in the Mediterranean, scheduled to start on Oct. 1.

Saying that Turkey has sent naval vessels to the area in cases like this before, Bağış added, "This is what we have the navy for."

In a conversation with Sunday's Zaman, Bağış shared his opinions on the recent rise of Islamophobia and xenophobia in Europe, stressing his concern that the situation could become even worse. He also shared with Sunday's Zaman readers his take on a number of issues ranging from the state of affairs in Turkish opposition parties to humanitarian aid in Somalia, the London riots and the Libyan refugee crisis.

Greek Cyprus has declared that it will begin oil exploration in the Mediterranean on Oct. 1. Can you comment on this?

The kinds of things that have happened in the past [Turkish naval interference with exploration] whenever the Greek Cypriots have made such attempts may well happen again. That is how serious Turkey is. Doing this in waters where they have no jurisdiction is illegal. Turkey will rely on international law to pursue its rights to the fullest extent.

Will the navy send a fleet?

This is what we have the navy for. We have trained our marines for this; we have equipped the navy for this. All options are on the table; anything can be done.

The Arab Spring still dominates the world's daily agenda. Has Turkey's EU membership bid been put to the side during this regional crisis?

We never stopped discussing the reforms. We are taking the necessary steps spelled out in our national program. We cannot say Turkey lost popularity in Europe during the Arab Spring. The international community cannot effectively reach out to the region without relying on Turkey's mediation.

The Schengen Agreement was undermined during the crisis over Libyan refugees, and the EU is now struggling with an economic crisis. What would you say to arguments that the EU will be dissolved?

I don't think this is going to happen. The EU's mechanisms may change, and its power over member states may change. The decision-making procedure may be made more local. The EU is essential for many of the member nations, which had fought each other for centuries. This is the primary reason for our eagerness to become a member; we see it as a project of peace. Substantial reforms have been introduced in Turkey in recent times: Without the impact of the EU bid, the progress we have made in recent decades would have been fairly difficult. The EU guidelines have served as a platform on which different social groups can reach consensus. The administration and the opposition meet in this platform.

Some are criticizing Turkey's aid to Somalia, arguing that there are Turks suffering from poverty and hunger.

What have those people who are criticizing Turkish efforts in Somalia done to address hunger in Turkey? It is our mission to extend support to Somalia. The current Turkish prime minister is the first in the last three decades to pay a visit to this region. Those who exploited these people sold them guns to incite enmity and hatred between different tribes. They made these people believe that sea products are not edible, while they exploited the lobster and tuna resources along the Somali coast. We want to send fishermen there to teach them how to fish. Once the security problems are resolved, we would like to set up a tuna processing plant there.

What would you say about the ongoing investigation into the football match-fixing allegations?

I am a Fenerbahçe fan; Fenerbahçe will remain a major team. But if there is wrongdoing at Fenerbahçe, the independent judiciary will implicate them.

In the aftermath of recent street protests in Britain, the British government discussed banning some websites, including Twitter and Facebook, as a preventive measure. However, the proposed voluntary filtering system in Turkey is being strongly criticized in Europe. Can you comment?

We are sick of this double standard. The chair of the Supreme Board for Communication, Tayfun Acarer, went to Brussels to brief the commission; we briefed the envoys of EU member countries. But they are still attempting to intimidate us on this issue. The lines of freedom should be drawn very carefully. If a mother wants to protect her children from pornography, violence and Satanism, she should be allowed to do so. We are obliged under the Constitution to protect young people; adults may do whatever they want.

Turkey has declared that it will not talk to the Greek Cypriots during the term of their EU presidency next year. Why has the EU remained silent regarding this decision?

They have nothing to say about this because they are aware of Turkey's determination. We are opposed to attempts to try to make us sit at the same table with the Greek Cypriots. We have said that we will not communicate with Greek Cyprus as president of the EU. We will only talk to the commission. This will blow over in six months anyway; it should not be a big deal.

Leading Republican People's Party (CHP) figure Gürsel Tekin criticized Turkey's financial aid to opposition groups in Libya, asking, "What would you do if someone sends money to the Kurdistan Worker's Party [PKK] in the future?" How would you respond to that?

Gürsel Tekin has not had enough experience to serve as a leading administrator, after serving in the local party administration. In general, we are pleased with the main opposition party, thanks to their poor performance. We were pleased with Deniz Baykal, but Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu is even better.

Does Europe extend sufficient support to Turkey's fight against terrorism?

In the past, EU member countries and the European Commission were critical whenever Turkey initiated a cross-border operation. However, asked about Turkey's most recent operation, the French foreign minister said they extended full support to Turkey's fight against the PKK, which the EU lists as a terrorist organization. We want peace and serenity. The Europeans understand this. Europe has shown its support by not making any criticisms at all of the recent operation. The PKK is now detrimental to the interests of Europe.

Do the CHP and the Grand Unity Party's (BDP) positions on combating terror overlap?

It was obvious [that the two parties were working together on the Kurdish issue] when they formed an alliance before last year's Sept. 12 referendum. Kılıçdaroğlu's efforts at election rallies in the Southeast to make sure that the audience would not wave a Turkish flag and the BDP's eagerness to transport people to the occasion were indications of this cooperation.

What do you think about the rise of Islamophobia and xenophobia in Europe?

I am worried about this. I was already concerned by the fact that a racist party received 16 percent of the vote in the Netherlands, and that a political movement that insults the values of the people is attracting further support. The reaction to the remarks by the German president that Islam is a reality in Germany was another indication. Multiculturalism, plurality and solidarity are fundamental values of the EU, but are now seriously at risk. Turkey can be an antidote in the resolution to these problems.

Everyone has an opportunity in Turkey

Minister Bağış said he was honored to have shared fast-breaking dinners with people of many different backgrounds this Ramadan, and shared an anecdote: "A 9-year-old girl from a poor family ranked first in math in İstanbul. Her brother was admitted into a prestigious university. Everybody has the opportunity to succeed. These kids now have opportunities, and this has raised my hopes."

Ramadan does not mean going hungry

"Ramadan is about empathy, not about staying hungry. You come to better understand the problems and priorities of others once you are in their place. This is why Ramadan is such a meaningful time."

Reaction to criticisms of Nihat Doğan

"You may not like some of his views or style, but Nihat Doğan is a good person. He volunteered for Somalia. What did those who criticize him do for the Somali people? At least he tried. If you don't like his music, don't buy his album. Unfortunately, this campaign of criticism was initiated because he publicly shared his political opinions and support for democratization."


http://www.todayszaman.com/news-255674-turkish-minister-warns-greek-cypriots-about-oil-exploration-in-mediterranean.html