Cyprus-Forum.com

[halil]

Turkey will sign an agreement with oil giant Shell for exploration of natural gas in eastern Mediterranean.............the deal with Shell would pave the way for exploration of oil and natural gas both in Turkish territory and off Turkey’s coasts.

[CBBB]

off Turkey’s coasts.

That is OK then.

[Get Real!]

As long as they steer clear from Cypriot waters the Turks can drill for marijuana for all we care…

[bill cobbett]

Well doubtless Shell will stay within Turkish waters, in the same ways that the Oceanic Challenger survey ship and the other proper survey ships did a few weeks ago.

... but there is a lot to be said for CY clarifying its legitimate claim to the waters to its west and north.

At the mo it's got agreements to the south and south-east and these have been lodged with the appropriate UN body, but the waters outside 6 or 12 miles in the other directions are pracctically international waters until such time as CY formally extends its EEZ in those areas.

It should lodge a claim up to the usual median points up to 200 miles with the UN Law of the Sea body pending formal delineations with Greece and Turkey. Turkey took a similar approach in the Black Sea pending agreements, which are now in place, with such as Russia.

[kurupetos]

Turkey will sign an agreement with oil giant Shell for exploration of natural gas in eastern Mediterranean.............the deal with Shell would pave the way for exploration of oil and natural gas both in Turkish territory and off Turkey’s coasts.

Why did you add this topic in the Cyprus Problem section then? Do you suggest Turkey will violate the CY EEZ?

[CBBB]

From the FT.

Shell declined to confirm that agreement had been reached. “We review our growth portfolio on a regular basis,” said the company. “We are continuously looking at opportunities worldwide.”

Turkey has also announced exploratory drilling of its own close to Cyprus, by agreement with the self-styled Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.

But since the Turkish Cypriot government is not internationally recognised, it is far from clear to what extent energy companies will be interested by such exploration.

http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/149b0044 ... z1dtS0l5J2

[humanist]

Turkey will sign an agreement with oil giant Shell for exploration of natural gas in eastern Mediterranean.............the deal with Shell would pave the way for exploration of oil and natural gas both in Turkish territory and off Turkey’s coasts.

so long as you Turks stay away from Cyprus' EEZ do what you like. In fact go for it. May be you'll fullfil your inferiority complex and stop threatening your neighbours

[Nikitas]

What stics in the Turks' craw is that Cyprus has a larger EEZ in the eastern Med than they do. As the prospect of a Greece-Cyprus_Israel cooperation looms in the horizon, the combined EEZ dwarfs any Turkish offering in the international energy market. They are trying their damndest to create a counterbalance, but the way the Law of the Sea works favors the others and not them. That is one they cannot swallow, but they will get used to it. Like they got used to the Black Sea arrangements where they made no mention of the doctrine of "closed seas" or how the "length of their coast line justifies a say in what goes on" and other such nonsense.