"It's Mine...All Mine" - We will not abandon Turkish Cypriot right to gas - Erdogan.

"It's Mine...All Mine" - We will not abandon Turkish Cypriot right to gas - Erdogan. (Taz).

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan pledged on Dec.10 to protect Turkish Cypriots’ right to natural gas until a fair distribution of resources is agreed with the Greek Cypriot administration, Anadolu Agency reported.

He added that he will not stop Turkey's drilling activities near the island.

"Turkey will never stay out of recent developments in Cyprus," he said at an address during the 60th year reception of the Turkish Petroleum Corporation.

"Our research vessel is now continuing its drilling activities. We will continue to be there as long as the Greek Cypriot administration and Greece continue to ignore our warnings on the issue," he added.

Peace negotiations between the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and the Greek Cypriot administration resumed after a two-year pause in February 2013.

However, they were suspended by the Greek Cypriot side on Oct. 7 when Turkey sent the Barbaros Hayreddin Pasa research vessel, and military ships to accompany the Greek Cypriot mission, to show Turkey's stance on the one-sided research.

Emphasizing the role of Turkey's diplomatic efforts in the recent reconciliation between the Iraqi central government and northern Iraqi Kurdish autonomous administration on oil revenues, Erdogan said: "We have just the same understanding for the Cyprus Island. I hope the success of our energy diplomacy in Iraq will be repeated in Cyprus."

Erdogan also said Russia might drop the South Stream gas pipeline project in favor of a plan to build a pipeline through Turkey to supply gas to Europe.

Referring to discussions with his Russian counterpart on Dec. 1, Erdogan said: "We arrived to a preliminary, non-legally binding agreement, and according to that the South Stream project will be shelved. Putin himself said we can change its name to Turkish Stream."  Hmmm.....The 'Erdogan BS Stream' sounds great.


EU Parliament urges 'Bully' Turkey to stop maritime surveys for gas in Cyprus Exclusive Zone

Turkey’s EU Minister Volkan Bozkır said on Nov. 13 that Ankara will “not accept” the European Parliament’s decision on the resolution. 

“It has no validity for us,” said EU Minister Volkan Bozkır, in reference to the draft resolution, during a meeting with Hungary’s minister of foreign affairs and trade in Ankara.