The United States considers the activities of Turkish drillship Yavuz off the north-eastern coast of Cyprus as unlawful and urges Turkish authorities to cease them immediately and remove the drillship from SouthCyprus’ territorial sea.
Responding to a question by the Cyprus News Agency (CNA), a State Department spokesperson noted that “only the Republic of Cyprus, acting through its government, can consent to activities such as drilling within its territorial sea.”
“The United States is concerned about the activities of the drillship Yavuz, which is operating within the territorial sea of the Republic of Cyprus. This step raises tensions in the region,” he noted.
“We urge Turkish authorities to cease activities immediately and to remove the Yavuz from the Republic of Cyprus’ territorial sea,” he stressed.
Moreover, he said that “we encourage all parties to act with restraint. Resource development in the Eastern Mediterranean should promote cooperation and provide a foundation for durable energy security and economic prosperity throughout the region,” he added.
“We continue to support the development of an equitable solution for sharing the benefits of Cyprus’ hydrocarbon resources between the two communities,” the US State Department spokesperson concluded.
