Πηγή: equities
By Elias Hazou (Cyprus Mail)
July 14 2012
THE GOVERNMENT said yesterday it would be lodging a complaint with the United Nations over Turkey's ongoing, unauthorised war games south of the island.
"As is the case each time, we are taking the appropriate actions and lodging complaints with the UN in relation to Turkey's acts, that is, its failure to notify the Republic of Cyprus [of the war games]," government spokesman Stefanos Stefanou said.
Turkey's air and naval exercise, yesterday and today, is taking place in waters south of Cyprus and within parts of the nation's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
The spokesman said yesterday's drills took place in international waters, but in areas falling within the Cypriot offshore blocks 2, 3, 8, 9, 13 and 12 – the latter where US firm Noble Energy is currently exploring for natural gas.
Some of these areas border Israel's Leviathan and Tamar gas fields. Turkey does not recognise an agreement between Israel and Cyprus which marks out each country's EEZ.
Yesterday's drills involved two torpedo gunboats and a corvette of the Turkish navy, Stefanou said.
"We are in a period when the UN itself has called for defusing tensions in the region. Yet instead we see that Turkey's response to the UN Secretary-general's appeals is to conduct military exercises," he added.
Meanwhile the British forces in Cyprus and the Israeli navy are carrying out air and naval exercises at the same time around the island.
The Israeli war games are taking place outside Cyprus' EEZ and as such no permission was required from the government, although the Israelis had notified Cyprus.
"Every time the Israelis carry out an exercise, we are in contact with them and any actions are governed by international law. Israel always cooperates with the Republic," said Stefanou.
He said the British bases had notified the government of their own war games.
Despite speculation that the British forces' aircraft training exercise – which began on July 9 and will conclude today – might overlap with the Turkish drills, an SBA spokesman yesterday told the Cyprus Mail "there has so far been no contact whatsoever with Turkish forces."
The British forces' drills were held in SBA territory and codenamed 'Lima' – over Milanda beach near Pissouri, he said.
On Wednesday, the Defence Minister said the government was considering charging Turkey with hampering and endangering air and naval navigation in the region. He did not elaborate.
The naval exercises come amid heightened tensions in the region in the wake of Syria shooting down a Turkish F4 jet. Turkey's relations with Israel are also at an all-time low.
Back in May Turkey accused Israel of violating the 'airspace' of the breakaway north.
Earlier that same month Turkey made official its plans for offshore hydrocarbon exploration in the eastern Mediterranean, with some of the designated areas overlapping Cyprus' EEZ.
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