Egyptian Foreign Ministry affirms the rights of Cyprus to explore for gas in the eastern Mediterranean

Egyptian Foreign Ministry affirms the rights and sovereignty of Cyprus over its resources in the Eastern Mediterranean Region, within the framework of international law.

“Egypt affirms the rights and sovereignty of the Republic of Cyprus over its resources in the Eastern Mediterranean region, within the framework of international law and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea,” said a statement published by Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ahmed Hafez on Facebook.

He added, and this applies to the regions in which Cyprus has been granted a license for marine exploration for oil and gas.

Cyprus had accused Turkey of “piracy” after Ankara announced new plans to explore for oil and gas in the divided island’s maritime region, despite warnings of European sanctions.

And Turkey announced on Friday that the exploration ship “Yavuz” had resumed its activities off Cyprus, a day after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan pledged that Turkey would start exploring gas “as soon as possible.”

In response to the announcement of new drilling operations, the European Union’s foreign affairs spokesman said on Saturday that steps should be taken to create a beneficial atmosphere for dialogue.