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61. Turkish ship Oruc Reis to continue hydrocarbon exploration

The Antalya station issued a navigational telex (Navtex) late Thursday announcing that the Turkish ship Oruc Reis will continue its seismic exploration mission in the sea area between southern Turkey and the Turkish-occupied north of Cyprus through January 31....

62. The licensing of block 5 to ExxonMobil and Qatar Energy is done

The Government of Cyprus and the joint venture ExxonMobil and Qatar Energy on Friday signed the Contract for Exploration and Proportional Allocation of Production and the Hydrocarbon Exploration License for block 5 in the Cyprus Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)....

63. Erdogan attacks Cyprus over exploration license

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday accused Cyprus of violating Turkey’s continental shelf by awarding an exploration license in the Mediterranean to ExxonMobil and Qatar Petroleum....

64. Turkey slams Cyprus over exploration license for Exxon, Qatar Petroleum in Mediterranean

Turkey on Thursday accused Cyprus of violating its continental shelf by awarding an exploration license in the Mediterranean to Exxon Mobil and Qatar Petroleum, adding it will not allow unauthorized exploration in its jurisdiction....

65. Tatar: The opening of Varos gave a new dimension to the Cyprus issue

The decision to open Varosi gave the Cyprus issue another dimension, said Ersin Tatar, while claiming that Varosi is the territory of the pseudo-state and part of the sovereignty of the "trnc"....

66. EU issues yet another damning report on Turkey

An EU enlargement report calls on Turkey to tone down actions and threats against member states including the Republic of Cyprus, while Ankara accuses the European Commission of adopting Greek and Greek Cypriot biases...

67. Turkish warship blocks Greek research vessel

A Turkish warship issued a warning to a Greek research vessel to prevent it entering what Turkey considers its territorial waters, Turkey’s Defense Ministry said Wednesday. The showdown came a year after tensions in the eastern Mediterranean threatened to escalate into open conflict between the neighbors and NATO allies...

68. Open season for players searching for gas

The Republic of Cyprus along with Greece and Israel have leased a research vessel to conduct seismic surveys in waters east and west of the island, at a time when chatter over gas exploration rounds in the region are coming back to the surface...

69. Cavusoglu visit sets threshold in Cyprus talks

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu says Ankara does not accept the mentality that Turkish Cypriots are a minority in Cyprus, accusing Greek Cypriots of denying equality between the two communities while also pulling favors from the European Union...

70. Cypriot president warns about Turkey agenda

Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades has given a few more hints on what an EU agenda for Turkey ought to look like next month, only days after revealing he was prepared wield his veto power if a decision did not deal squarely with Cyprus...

71. EU presidents to go to Turkey next week

The presidents of the European Council and the European Commission will meet Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan in Turkey on April 6, an EU spokesman said on Monday, in the latest sign of improving ties....

72. EU27 open up to Turkey but with a caveat

European Union leaders made good on Thursday on a 2016 promise to deepen trade ties with Turkey, but also warned Ankara to expect sanctions if it restarts exploration over disputed hydrocarbons in the eastern Mediterranean...

73. Cyprus rejects EU draft on Turkey which seeks to deepen trade ties

Cyprus has rejected a draft prepared for a summit of EU leaders this week which seeks to deepen trade ties with Turkey, describing it as “totally unacceptable.” ...

74. Borrell: Cyprob solution must come from Cypriots

"The European Union fully supports the resumption of a settlement process under UN auspices, as soon as possible," and stands ready to provide whatever assistance both parties and the UN would find most useful, the EU’s Foreign Policy chief Josep Borrell said Thursday....

75. Oktay: Forget any bargaining over Varosha

76. Turkey eyeing Cyprus’ natural resources

Ahead of the informal five-party conference on the Cyprus issue early next month, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu stressed Tuesday that the most important issue is the way in which the island’s natural resources are shared, unveiling Ankara’s ultimate goals in the region....

77. EU keeping close eye on Turkish moves

European Union foreign ministers have agreed to a “wait-and-see” approach towards Turkey, with some member-states appearing more skeptical of Ankara’s recent overtures....

78. Cyprus energy designs unaffected by Turkey's provations, President says

Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades said Tuesday that that the Republic, as a sovereign and independent state and despite Turkey’s provocations, threats and illegal activities, is determined to go ahead with the implementation of its energy policy....

79. EU leaders pull Turkey punch at last minute

European Union leaders agreed on Thursday to prepare limited sanctions on Turkish individuals over an energy exploration dispute with Greece and Cyprus, postponing any harsher steps until March as countries sparred over how to handle Ankara...

80. EU to toughen sanctions on Turkish drilling, draft summit statement says

The European Union will impose sanctions on more Turkish individuals and companies responsible for drilling in contested waters in the Mediterranean, according to a draft statement prepared for EU leaders to agree at a summit on Thursday....

81. Turkish exploration vessel back in port ahead of EU summit

Turkey’s seismic exploration vessel Oruc Reis returned to port on Monday from disputed Mediterranean waters, less than two weeks before a European Union summit where the bloc will evaluate possible sanctions against Ankara....

82. France, EU lawmakers push for sanctions on Turkey next month

France is leading a push for European Union sanctions on Turkey next month to follow through on a threat made by the bloc in October, but has yet to win support from EU governments beyond Greece and Cyprus, officials and diplomats said. ...

83. Cyprus drilling programme to resume in mid-2021

The Cyprus hydrocarbon exploration programme will resume in the second half of 2021, energy minister Natasa Pilides said Tuesday, noting however that the pandemic has rendered drilling projects “increasingly complex.”...

84. Cavusoglu signals new Cyprus game plan

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has called for sovereign equality in divided Cyprus, adding that Ankara was ready for dialogue with Athens but also prepared for tension if Greece chose the latter...

85. EU extends ability to impose sanctions on Turkey

The European Council on Friday issued a one-year extension to its framework for sanctions that could be imposed on individuals and entities responsible for Turkey’s controversial gas exploration and drilling activities in the Eastern Mediterranean....

86. Cyprus leaders agree to disagree

The two leaders from divided Cyprus’ two communities met in the UN buffer zone in Nicosia on Tuesday, following last month’s elections in the north, with both men agreeing in principle to an informal five-party meeting but not without expressing reservations...

87. Bar set low as Brussels, UN in low spirits for CyProb involvement

Foreign players ranging from Brussels and Berlin to New York have lowered their expectations and show a reduced eagerness to actively get involved in efforts to reach a solution to the Cyprus Problem....

88. Greece and Turkey take it down a notch

Greece and Turkey have mutually cancelled military exercises on each other’s national holiday this week, as a gesture of goodwill following a special NATO-sponsored meeting between the two defense ministers...

89. Tatar goes to Ankara with clean slate

Newly-elected Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar is visiting Ankara on Monday, following his first tell-all interview with Turkish media after being sworn into office...

90. Athens bracing for a protracted crisis

Athens is preparing on both a diplomatic and military level for a protracted crisis in the Aegean and the Eastern Mediterranean until at least the end of the year when the European Union’s ultimatum to Turkey expires in December. Other crucial political milestones will be the US elections on November 3 and the void created until the president is sworn in on January 20....