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Category: Cyprus/TRNC

Turkey Mulling Oil, Gas Search off North Cyprus

Turkey considering search for oil, gas in waters off Cyprus’ northern coast

The Associated Press

By MENELAOS HADJICOSTIS ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
NICOSIA, Cyprus October 21, 2010 (AP)

Turkey is considering starting oil and gas exploration off the northern coast of Cyprus, a senior Turkish Energy Ministry official said Thursday.

The official said initial seismic research conducted in waters between Turkey’s southern Mediterranean port city of Mersin and Cyprus, 200 kilometers (124 miles) away, “has yielded certain data.”

He said Turkey is carrying out further studies on how to proceed with exploration and is looking into possible partnerships with international gas and oil giants.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity in line with Turkish rules that bar state officials from speaking to reporters without prior authorization.

The news came as Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri said his country is finalizing its sea boundaries with Syria to facilitate a search for offshore mineral deposits.

“Now we have a much better relationship with Syria and we are negotiating the economic zone,” Hariri told reporters after talks Thursday with Cyprus President Dimitris Christofias in Nicosia.

Lebanon signed an agreement with Cyprus to mark out sea boundaries in 2007, but ratification by Lebanese legislators has stalled. Hariri referred to “differences” between the two countries, but didn’t elaborate.

Hariri said the agreements with both Cyprus and Syria will be sent to parliament for ratification, “hopefully soon”.

Cyprus signed a similar agreement with Egypt in 2003.

Oil and gas exploration has threatened to increase tensions between rivals Cyprus and Turkey.

Cyprus was divided in 1974 when Turkey invaded after a coup on Cyprus by people who favored uniting the island with Greece. The island has an internationally recognized Greek Cypriot south and a breakaway Turkish Cypriot north, where Turkey keeps 35,000 troops.

Cyprus joined the European Union in 2004, but only Greek Cypriots — who represent the island in the bloc — enjoy the benefits.

October 22, 2010
Turkey announces plans to explore offshore Cyprus

Eric Watkins
OGJ Oil Diplomacy Editor

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 22 — Turkey’s Energy Minister Taner Yildiz, in a move designed to stir passions in the Eastern Mediterranean region, has signed a cooperation protocol with Energy Minister Sunat Atun of Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.

“We will begin work on oil exploration around Cyprus and in our exclusive territory,” Yildiz said. “We are working on supplying the Greek Cypriot side with energy if requested,” Yildiz said, clearly aware that his remarks would nettle the southern half of the island.

Turkey invaded northern Cyprus in 1974 and set up an enclave that is still recognized only by Ankara. By contrast, the southern half of the island is ruled by the internationally recognized Greek Cypriot government, which represents Cyprus in the European Union.

Yildiz said Turkish scientists had received signs of oil deposits following seismic research undertaken in the exclusive economic zone between Cyprus and Mersin on Turkey’s southern coast.

The Turkish minister said there was the possibility of joint operations with international oil companies for exploration in the region, which would cover 288,000 sq km. Yildiz said talks would continue with oil companies, but he did not name any of them.

Yildiz’s announcement is sure to rev up excitement among other countries in the region where a “scramble” is already said to be on the way for natural gas (OGJ Online, Oct. 4, 2020).

Indeed, Yildiz’s statement coincided with reports that Cyprus and Lebanon have agreed on to advance with plans to search for oil and gas deposits off their shores in the eastern Mediterranean once their mutual economic zones have been defined.

Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri said his country also wants to include neighboring Syria in the plans to enable all three countries to benefit from exploration for hydrocarbons.

“We are finalizing also the economic zone with Syria, then hopefully we will soon be sending this ratification of the whole entire area to parliament,” Hariri told reporters on a visit to Cyprus.

Cyprus has signed delineation agreements with Egypt and Lebanon, which have agreed to mutually exploit hydrocarbon deposits that lie under their boundaries, but the deal with Beirut has not yet been ratified by Lebanon’s parliament.

“We had some differences when we made this agreement with Cyprus, and we had some differences with Syria, but now we have a much better relationship with Syria and we are negotiating the economic zone,” said Hariri.

Despite delays, Cyprus says it will soon launch a second licensing round after the exploration procedure was launched 3 years ago.

The Nicosia government says it is committed to continuing consultations with its neighbors in the search for hydrocarbon reserves within Cyprus’s exclusive economic zone.

Cyprus Commerce Minister Antonis Paschalides recently said the island would go ahead with a second licensing round for its remaining 12 blocks after “consultations with other countries are completed.”

Cyprus has signed a memorandum of cooperation with Israel for surveying and mapping in joint research energy projects. Since then Cyprus has also licensed Noble Energy to search for hydrocarbons in Cypriot waters.

A Noble spokesperson said the firm already has identified a natural gas prospect inside its Cyprus block, but that there was no estimate of its potential size or chances of success. The Noble spokesperson said no specific date for drilling a well has been set.

Still, there is gas and oil to be had in the waters of the Eastern Mediterranean, as evidenced by recent efforts.

Earlier this week, a consortium led by Noble Energy Inc. began drilling at its Leviathan natural gas prospect in the eastern Mediterranean, according to one of the partners in the group (OGJ Online, Oct. 19, 2010).

The group, which has reported the possibility of finding oil under the gas, earlier estimated Leviathan’s reserves at 16 tcf of gas and gave the project a 50% geologic chance of success (OGJ Online, Aug. 9, 2010).

Contact Eric Watkins at hippalus@yahoo.com.

October 22, 2010
‘Powerful US Jewish lobby groups helped censure Turkey on Cyprus’

US-BASED Jewish lobby groups have denied any role in helping to pass a congressional resolution censuring Turkey over its role in obliterating Greek Cypriot cultural presence in the north of Cyprus, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) has reported.

According to JTA, a report last week in Congressional Quarterly said the powerful Anti-Defamation League, the American Jewish Committee and the American Israel Public Affairs Committee lobbied for the non-binding resolution passed in the US House of Representatives on September 28 by voice vote.

The three groups have denied any such role, JTA said.

A spokesman for Republican congressman Gus Bilirakis, a Greek American who initiated the legislation, said: “We did not seek support of any outside group, although many Jewish members of Congress co-sponsored the resolution.”

Four Jewish lawmakers are among the 27 sponsors.

One is Democrat Howard Berman, the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Another is also Democrat Adam Schiff, whose district has a strong Armenian presence and who has often taken on Turkey, the JTA said.

Another co-sponsor, Democrat Shelley Berkley, is of Greek-Jewish heritage.

The House has more than 30 Jewish members.

The story comes as Cyprus and Israel have upped the ante on bilateral relations. Also for the first time this year, members of the US Jewish lobby accompanied delegates from the American-Cypriot Diaspora when they held their annual conference in Cyprus, and were feted by the government.

The Congressional Quarterly story attributed the new level of support to the deteriorating relations between Israel and Turkey, in the wake of the 2009 Gaza war and Israel’s deadly May 31 raid this year on a Turkish-flagged aid flotilla attempting to breach Israel’s blockade of Gaza which resulted in the death of nine activists.

Israel and Greece have enhanced ties over the summer, partly because Turkey recently canceled joint military exercises with the Jewish state.

Bilirakis at a recent Washington conference promoting Israeli-Greek ties said such an evolution was natural, blaming Turkey for alienating both countries, JTA said.

But diplomats from Greece and Israel at the conference stressed that enhanced ties would not be at Turkey’s expense.

In the aftermath of the invasion, hundreds of Greek Orthodox churches were looted in the north, and cemeteries were destroyed.

JTA said Bilirakis’ resolution mentions only the Turkish invasion and not the Athens-backed coup that sought union with Greece. By focusing strictly on cultural heritage, it bypasses claims by both Turks and Greeks regarding recovery of civilian dead and of property.

October 21, 2010
Greek Cyprus complains to EU over Turkey’s ban on ports

The Greek Cypriot administration has complained about Turkey to the European Union for causing financial damage to two Greek Cypriot airline companies and increasing air pollution as a result of its ban on Greek Cypriot aircraft using its airports and airspace.

In a document Greek Cyprus authorities presented to the EU in a meeting of transportation, communication and energy ministers in Brussels on Friday, they lamented that some of their air travel was extended and as a result caused more air pollution.

Some EU member states have blocked several negotiation chapters with Turkey, claiming that Turkey has to live up to its obligations in Ankara protocol to open up its ports and airports to Greek Cypriot vessels and aircrafts. Turkey refuses to lift the ban, saying that the EU should lift the economic isolation on Turkish Cyprus because the country is displaying a political will to reunify the island.

The document said Turkey bans aircrafts from Cyprus Airways and Eurocypria, which are registered in Greek Cyprus, and their travel to Moscow from Larnaka takes 1 hour more and to Helsinki 35 minutes more due to Turkey’s ban.

They also complained that some Greek Cypriot aircraft had to land in Greece en route to Europe and they are negatively affected by strikes in the country. Officials reportedly said Greek Cyprus could still not launch flights to Georgia and Ukraine for this reason and that the overall damage is $5 million annually.

Among the complaints are the facts that Greek Cypriot aircraft had to extend their travel and release more carbon dioxide into the air. They assert that this is not in line with the EU’s climate policies.

16 October 2010, Saturday
TODAY’S ZAMAN İSTANBUL

October 16, 2010
Report on future strategies for Turkish Cyprus concludes

Report on Future Strategies for Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus prepared by Turkish Economy Bank was submitted to TRNC executives on Monday.

Report on Future Strategies for Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) prepared by Turkish Economy Bank (TEB) was submitted to TRNC executives on Monday.

The report, jointly prepared by TEB, Foreign Economic Relations Board of Turkey (DEIK), and Turkish-TRNC Business Council, aims at assessing future strategies of TRNC and revealing areas of investment. The report considers TRNC with all its social and economic processes.

Halim Mete, Deputy Chairman of the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB), while addressing a ceremony held to submit the report, stated that, “we want TRNC to stand on its own legs with a strong economy and qualified man power source”.

“The report is related to the future of TRNC,” Mete said and referred to referendum on Annan plan dated April 24, 2004.

“Turkish Cypriot people voted in favor of the report and Greek Cypriot party refused the solution plan supported by the UN and European Union. In the end, Turkish Cypriot people supporting the solution were punished and could not get rid of economic and political blockade,” Mete said.

TOBB Deputy Chairman said, “TRNC has an extremely well-trained human resource and an tourism potential. We have the opportunity to turn north of Cyprus into an education center for East Mediterranean and the Middle East. There are people eager to invest in TRNC in case the conditions become appropriate. A series of studies may take place to boost competitive capacity of TRNC and to provide appropriate conditions for those who want to make investment.”

TEB Director General Varol Civil, speaking at the ceremony, stated that a Conference was organized last May to assess potential of TRNC.

“The report justified the confidence we felt in potential of TRNC that it would become a university island with its high education level, geographical position, beauties and appropriate climate conditions,” Civil said.

Mustafa Fehmi Gurbuz, chairman of Turkey-TRNC Business Council, said the report was based on the statements of people who experienced expectations and the problems the most in Cyprus business world.

Kaya Turkmen, Turkey’s Ambassador to Lefkosa, said an economic atmosphere focusing on private sector and which has high competitive capacity was targeted for economy of TRNC to reach a stable structure in the future.

“When we make a general evaluation, economic activities in TRNC intensify on service sectors like tourism and education. Turkey will extend any necessary contributions,” Turkmen said and stated that Turkish-TRNC Business Council should assess well the problems hindering improvement of bilateral trade relations and wanted them to disclose the public the problems and their proposals.

Cyprus Turk Chamber of Trade President Gunay Cerkez said, “the report was a study assessing the strong and weak aspects of the TRNC, as well as the opportunities and threats. TRNC passes through a difficult and important period both in economic and political sense. However, we believe that this period may be overcome with planned measures and decisive stances. Problems and difficulties caused by blockage should not be a hinderance for us.”

Cyprus Turk Chamber of Industry Chairman Ali Cirali said political uncertainties caused wrong economic, social and bureaucratic structuring in TRNC. “Today, TRNC is at crossroads. There are two alternatives in front of TRNC. Either we will get reorganized with all its institutions and organizations, or we will be the ‘poor region’ of TRNC after the solution.”

“We are aware of the face that we should take bitter medicine in restructuring period,” he said.

TRNC Economy & Energy Ministry Undersecretary Omer Koseoglu said the report was very important for them noting that the government aimed an economy focusing on private sector.

, 04 October 2010

October 8, 2010
Proposal to Cede Cyprus to Greece

Proposal document from National Archives to cede Cyprus to Greece.

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October 7, 2010