Tsavousoglou blackmailing dilemma: Half of Cyprus’s natural gas in exchange for an ‘extraction’ permit

Turkey wants an agreement on the distribution of energy wealth in Cyprus in order to allow the extraction of natural gas from the region. This blackmailing dilemma is posed by the Turkish Foreign Minister, Mevlüt Çavuşoλουlu, in order, as he mentioned, for cooperation in the field of energy. He also blackmailed towards Greece, from which he demanded a change of approach, otherwise Turkey will raise the issue of sovereignty of the Aegean islands.

In an interview, Mevlüt Çavuşoλουlu referred to the Eastern Mediterranean, saying that “if an agreement is reached on the fair distribution of wealth in Cyprus, there can be cooperation for the export of natural gas that can be extracted from this region as well.” recall the Turkish Cypriot and Turkish proposals on the table, “the Greek Cypriot side is not yet approaching the EU for such a division” and warns that [η ελληνοκυπριακή πλευρά] does not want to share anything, so far there has been no solution for Cyprus “.

The Turkish Foreign Minister also appeared blackmailing against Greece, which he also accused of an expansionist policy in the Aegean! And he threatened that if Greece does not back down on the issue of violations, then Turkey will raise the issue of sovereignty of the islands.

He stated that “even the US State Department in its letter to Congress has openly stated that this is not going to happen. The US has had a policy of balance between the Turkish side and the Greek side in Turkey, Greece and Cyprus, although recently they have “They broke the balance. They recently broke it and we gave them the necessary warnings. However, they accept this fact. So, in the end, these islands must be disarmed,” the Turkish minister said.

Mevlüt Çavuşoλουlu also said that “it does not mean that we are very afraid of Greece’s weapons”. Greece, he said, says that there is a threat from Turkey, it puts weapons here (ss: on the islands) based on this threat. In other words, he continued, “he says we are doing it in the face of a threat, but what good are these weapons? They are of no use.”

Secondly, he added, Greece says that Turkey aspires to its sovereignty, pursues an expansionist policy, that is why it has these demands, that is why it is writing these letters. However, the Turkish minister claimed, “it is Greece that pursues an expansionist policy, that is, it violates the status of the islands. We say international law. And international law is very clear, the agreements are very clear. Therefore, we say that if Greece does not take a step back on these violations, we will open for discussion the sovereignty of the islands.

The Greek Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nikos Dendias, in his own interview stated that it proves “in practice that the casus belli against Greece is not empty of content, as our country faces a real threat from Turkey, which is not limited only to rhetorical level. “And that irreparably exposes Turkey itself internationally.” However, Mr. Dendias clarified, “Greece reacts calmly, it does not succumb to the temptation to respond in the same way”.

“We decide when and how to respond to Turkish provocations. We do not engage in a rhetorical confrontation, despite the ongoing Turkish provocations, which in most cases also have a personal dimension. We do not refer to individuals,” he added. He stressed that it is a conscious and responsible choice of Greece to talk to Turkey, but this “requires a radical review by Turkey of its behavior and its full harmonization with the fundamental principles of international law, including the rule of law.” . According to Mr. Dendias, “Greece is not defined in terms of its foreign policy, it has its own positions governed by the respect and application of the principles of International Law”, which was also demonstrated by the recent visit of the Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotaki, in the USA, is now established as a concept in the entire international community.

Demands compliance with international obligations

The EU will continue to urge Turkey to comply with its international obligations, EU values, as a candidate country for EU membership, and to implement the rulings of the European Court of Human Rights, as a member of the Council of Europe, the European Union said. Commission.

On behalf of the European Commission, Oliver Varchelli, Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement, in response to a written question sent jointly on April 27, 2022, by PASOK President and MEP Nikos Androulakis and the MEP of the Democratic Group , Dimitris Papadakis, on the imprisonment of Sener Levent, said that “freedom and pluralism of the media are a basic principle of the EU, and the EU toolkit for defending and promoting them, both within its borders and in in the context of its foreign policy, is strengthened “.

The letter stressed that the EU was concerned about attempts to undermine freedom of expression and media pluralism in the Turkish Cypriot community, as in the case of newspaper publisher Sener Levent.

Ongoing attempt to free the captain

The diplomatic process by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Cyprus for the release of the Cypriot captain, a member of the crew of one of the two Greek ships, which are under occupation by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards in the Arabian Gulf, is underway.

The spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dimitris Dimitriou, told KYPE that the Cypriot captain of the ship “Prudent warrior” is in good health and the ministry is in contact with his wife from the first moment.

According to Mr. Dimitriou, the Ambassador of the Republic of Cyprus in Tehran is in constant contact with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iran to manage the consular dimension of the issue.

On the issue, he noted, a telephone conversation took place yesterday between the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ioannis Kasoulidis, and his Greek counterpart, Nikos Dendias. “The efforts of the Foreign Minister are continuous and aim at the release of the ship and the crew”, concluded Mr. Dimitriou.

Source: philenews.com