No Turco Greek oil rift in
Aegean Energy minister
Turkey ’s
exploration efforts.
“We have the intention of using energy issues not as a reason to create tension but as a reason for growth and opening. We will see whether other countries will follow this principle,” Yıldız told the Daily News when asked about the recent initiative ofGreece ,
which said on Feb. 22 that it had notified the U.N. of Turkey’s granting of
exploration permits for areas “on the Greek continental
shelf.”
Greece ’s move came just days
ahead of Greek Prime
Minister Antonis Samaras’ visit to Turkey , which resulted in the
signing of nearly two dozen agreements on March 4.
“Making explorations in areas that are open to discussion would create concerns not only withTurkey but
with other countries as well,” said Yıldız in reference to Greek Cyprus ’
decision to start explorations in the divided island’s south.
“We say there are two ways: You strengthen the legal basis, you withdraw from disputed areas, or, if you find something there, this should belong to the whole ofCyprus .
This is only natural. The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus said when we jointly started
[explorations] that whatever found would be shared based on reasonable shares.
Why should energy issues become the subject of tension when all of our
relations with Greece are going
well?” he said.
“They asked, ‘Will you conduct explorations in theAegean ?’ We
said, ‘As of now, we will not.’ Don’t we know any exploration
creates a controversy? Of course we know,” said Yıldız. The Aegean
Sea remains a cause of contension between the two countries as the
two cannot agree over the borders of the continental shelf.
Turkey started explorations
with Turkish Cyprus off the north of the island after Greek Cyprus went ahead with offshore drilling
activities in the Mediterranean .
The fact that energy ministers from both sides were not present at the meetings attended by nearly a dozen ministers from each side does not mean that there is a problem on energy issues between the two governments, according to Yıldız.
When asked about the fact that the Greek Cypriots and international companies had gone ahead with exploration work in the eastern Mediterranean despite warnings fromAnkara ,
Yıldız said: “They are continuing their work. There are some companies that
took into consideration our warnings and a small number of others who did not.
They will make their choices and we will make our choices. I believe it will be
beneficial for all for work to be done through consensus.”
When asked whether there was potential for the desired consensus, Yıldız said, “We saw a little bit more optimistic statements on this issue from the new leader of the Cypriot administration,” in reference to Nicos Anastasiades, who won the country’s recent presidential elections.
While economies are becoming global, policies are becoming more national, according to Yıldız, who said projects needed to be politically feasible.
“We can have results only if we can decide together in these sorts of joint areas. The countries need to meet at that politically feasible point,” said Yıldız.
“We never took a negative move. We always said we are ready to take a positive step all the time,” he said.
When asked if there had been a positive development as far as reaching a point of consensus on the issue of exploration in the eastern Mediterranean, Yıldız said interested parties needed to take into account the advantages provided byTurkey ’s
geography.
“These types of projects are not projects that you can pursue stubbornly. These are not projects that you can say, let’s do it whatever the cost, even if the price of gas reaches 500 dollars. I believe the technical side of the project will bring politics to a certain level,” he said.
The relevant sides know these projects are not feasible without the participation ofTurkey , said
Yıldız.
ISTANBUL Barçın Yinanç barcin.yinanc@hurriyet.com.tr 6-3-2013
Energy Minister Yıldız seeks to put Turkey’s Aegean neighbor at ease, saying Ankara has no plans for energy exploration that would upset Greece.
‘‘We can have results only if we can decide together,’ the minister
says.Energy Minister Yıldız seeks to put Turkey’s Aegean neighbor at ease, saying Ankara has no plans for energy exploration that would upset Greece.
Energy issues will not become a subject of tension
between Turkey and Greece , Turkish Energy Minister Taner Yıldız has
said, adding that Ankara has told Athens it has no current
intention of conducting exploration in the countries’ shared sea.
“There is no problem in energy issues,” he told the Hürriyet Daily News
despite a divergence of views on exploration rights in the eastern
Mediterranean that recently drove Greece to complain
to the United Nations about “We have the intention of using energy issues not as a reason to create tension but as a reason for growth and opening. We will see whether other countries will follow this principle,” Yıldız told the Daily News when asked about the recent initiative of
“Making explorations in areas that are open to discussion would create concerns not only with
“We say there are two ways: You strengthen the legal basis, you withdraw from disputed areas, or, if you find something there, this should belong to the whole of
“They asked, ‘Will you conduct explorations in the
The fact that energy ministers from both sides were not present at the meetings attended by nearly a dozen ministers from each side does not mean that there is a problem on energy issues between the two governments, according to Yıldız.
When asked about the fact that the Greek Cypriots and international companies had gone ahead with exploration work in the eastern Mediterranean despite warnings from
When asked whether there was potential for the desired consensus, Yıldız said, “We saw a little bit more optimistic statements on this issue from the new leader of the Cypriot administration,” in reference to Nicos Anastasiades, who won the country’s recent presidential elections.
While economies are becoming global, policies are becoming more national, according to Yıldız, who said projects needed to be politically feasible.
“We can have results only if we can decide together in these sorts of joint areas. The countries need to meet at that politically feasible point,” said Yıldız.
“We never took a negative move. We always said we are ready to take a positive step all the time,” he said.
When asked if there had been a positive development as far as reaching a point of consensus on the issue of exploration in the eastern Mediterranean, Yıldız said interested parties needed to take into account the advantages provided by
“These types of projects are not projects that you can pursue stubbornly. These are not projects that you can say, let’s do it whatever the cost, even if the price of gas reaches 500 dollars. I believe the technical side of the project will bring politics to a certain level,” he said.
The relevant sides know these projects are not feasible without the participation of
March/06/2013
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