According to news agency Reuters, Turkey will contend any move by the Cypriot Democracy to expedite the research for gas reserves within its waters, in order to attract investments.
The EU has set a Monday morning deadline for Nicosia to come up with an alternative for collecting almost 6 billion euros necessary to come to a loan agreement, otherwise the island nation may be faced with a financial collapse and Eurozone exit.
The Cypriot Minister of Finances Michalis Sarris has mentioned that the natural gas reserves within the Cypriot Exclusive Economic Zone could attract Russian investments. A Turkish official spoke to Reuters though, claiming that the “resource belongs to two communities and the future of this resource can’t be subject to the will of ‘southern Cyprus’ alone. [We] may act against such initiatives if necessary”.
The Turkish official further questioned “the exclusive use of this resource” by ‘Southern Cyprus’, dubbing such a move “unacceptable” and warning of pursuing “legal means” with the EU.
