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Cyprus - Statements by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, 28 september 2011

http://www.moi.gov.cy/moi/pio/pio.nsf/A ... endocument

The Minister of Foreign Affairs Mrs Erato Kozakou- Marcoullis had a meeting at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, yesterday, with a delegation of AKEL.

During the meeting, the latest developments on the Cyprus issue, the handling of the Turkish threats, the preparation of the Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the European Union and the actions of the Cypriot members of the European Parliament regarding the Turkish threats were discussed.

In her statement after the meeting, Mrs Marcoullis said that it was a very constructive discussion.

“We have many hot issues that are being discussed today at the European Parliament. The issue of the Turkish threats, the issue of the promotion of our positions on the Cyprus issue in view of the meeting in October and how we prepare ourselves in order to avoid any negative developments”, she added.

Replying to a press question on whether the Ministry of Foreign Affairs knows the precise location and the actions of the Turkish research ship Piri Reis, Mrs Marcoullis replied: “Of course we are informed on these issues on a daily basis, but on the issue of the Piri Reis, let me underestimate its role. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is following the movement of the Turkish fleet and some other research vessels commissioned by the Turkish government. All these Turkish military actions are being followed closely by the Foreign Ministry and the Defence Ministry. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is making representations on a daily basis and informs all the members in the international community, which need to be informed and act at the right time”.

In response to another question, the Foreign Minister said: “The Piri Reis has not begun research. This ship is one of the vessels owned by the Turkish Government. Let us not forget that it is a very old vessel and it is not possible to know what equipment it has. If, however, it had the appropriate equipment, the Turkish Government would not have concluded an agreement with foreign companies to conduct seismic research as has been announced”.

Replying to a relevant question, Mrs Marcoullis did rule out the possibility that the Piri Reis may be acting as bate to see the reactions of the Greek Cypriot side.

Asked whether the foreign companies engaged in the Turkish research have been informed about these issues, Mrs Marcoullis said that the Republic of Cyprus and the Greek Government have made all the necessary representations and the companies have been fully briefed.

Finally, replying to a question in relation to the escalation of the Turkish threats, the Minister said: “We see an escalation of the Turkish threats that is evident in the Turkish Prime Minister’s statements yesterday that the Mediterranean is a Turkish sea, but also in the actions taken by Turkey; especially the issue of the conclusion of the so-called agreement with the pseudostate, which we are analyzing and we are taking all the necessary measures, so that the provisions of this agreement are not implemented. With this agreement the pseudostate gives the right to Turkey to conduct research in areas that belong to the sea shelf of the Republic of Cyprus. Of course this agreement is legally null and void in relation to the international law. We, however, concentrate on the illegal actions of the Turkish Government, whether they stem from this agreement or not.”

[kurupetos]

In other words, we'll do nothing.