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By Selcan Hacaoglu
(Bloomberg) —
Turkey accused a U.S. administration worried about Ankara’s ambitions of stoking tensions in the eastern Mediterranean by planning to establish a new military training center on Cyprus.
The plan, announced during U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo’s visit to Nicosia on Saturday, comes close on the heels of Washington’s decision to ease its longstanding arms embargo on the island. During his trip, Pompeo said he was “deeply concerned” about Turkey’s energy exploration in offshore areas over which European Union members Greece and Cyprus assert jurisdiction.
How Tensions Are Rising Over Mediterranean Gas Fields: QuickTake
The increased U.S. military support to the Cypriot government has disturbed Turkey, whose forces captured the northern third of Cyprus in 1974, following a coup attempt in which a military junta in Athens sought to unite Cyprus with Greece.
The agreement to build the center “will not serve peace and stability in the eastern Mediterranean and will harm the process to solve the Cyprus problem,” Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hami Aksoy said. Washington’s latest moves “tip the balance on the island and fuel tensions,” he added, criticizing Pompeo for not meeting with Turkish Cypriot leaders.
While the Cypriot government officially has sovereignty over the entire island, Cyprus is in effect divided. The Turkish minority’s self-proclaimed state in the north, recognized only by Ankara, also claims rights to any energy resources discovered off its coast.
Pompeo Says Worried by Turkey’s Actions in East Mediterranean
Tensions in the area flared in August after Turkey resumed gas exploration and naval exercises in contested waters. Turkey and Greece have since deployed their navies to an area where they both assert exclusive economic rights, and France has started expanding its military presence there in response to Turkish actions.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Sunday that his country is ready to start a new round of talks with Ankara after Turkey recalled a survey ship from contested waters. Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar also signaled readiness for dialogue, ahead of a late-September meeting where EU countries plan to discuss restrictive measures against Turkey over its energy exploration activities.
A spokesman for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan urged Greece and the EU not to waste the opportunity.
“Turkey will resolutely protect its rights and interests, both in the field and at the table as a strong actor,” Ibrahim Kalin said on Twitter on Monday. “Greece and EU countries should not squander the chance given to diplomacy and must take reciprocal steps.”
©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
Bloomberg.com
(Bloomberg) —
Turkey accused a U.S. administration worried about Ankara’s ambitions of stoking tensions in the eastern Mediterranean by planning to establish a new military training center on Cyprus.
The plan, announced during U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo’s visit to Nicosia on Saturday, comes close on the heels of Washington’s decision to ease its longstanding arms embargo on the island. During his trip, Pompeo said he was “deeply concerned” about Turkey’s energy exploration in offshore areas over which European Union members Greece and Cyprus assert jurisdiction.
How Tensions Are Rising Over Mediterranean Gas Fields: QuickTake
The increased U.S. military support to the Cypriot government has disturbed Turkey, whose forces captured the northern third of Cyprus in 1974, following a coup attempt in which a military junta in Athens sought to unite Cyprus with Greece.
The agreement to build the center “will not serve peace and stability in the eastern Mediterranean and will harm the process to solve the Cyprus problem,” Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hami Aksoy said. Washington’s latest moves “tip the balance on the island and fuel tensions,” he added, criticizing Pompeo for not meeting with Turkish Cypriot leaders.
While the Cypriot government officially has sovereignty over the entire island, Cyprus is in effect divided. The Turkish minority’s self-proclaimed state in the north, recognized only by Ankara, also claims rights to any energy resources discovered off its coast.
Pompeo Says Worried by Turkey’s Actions in East Mediterranean
Tensions in the area flared in August after Turkey resumed gas exploration and naval exercises in contested waters. Turkey and Greece have since deployed their navies to an area where they both assert exclusive economic rights, and France has started expanding its military presence there in response to Turkish actions.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Sunday that his country is ready to start a new round of talks with Ankara after Turkey recalled a survey ship from contested waters. Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar also signaled readiness for dialogue, ahead of a late-September meeting where EU countries plan to discuss restrictive measures against Turkey over its energy exploration activities.
A spokesman for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan urged Greece and the EU not to waste the opportunity.
“Turkey will resolutely protect its rights and interests, both in the field and at the table as a strong actor,” Ibrahim Kalin said on Twitter on Monday. “Greece and EU countries should not squander the chance given to diplomacy and must take reciprocal steps.”
©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
Bloomberg.com
