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Erdogan Dismisses Athens' EU Sanctions Threat over Cyprus

Dorian Jones

   ISTANBUL - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is dismissing threats
   of European Union sanctions as tensions escalate over disputed energy
   rights on the divided island of Cyprus. The dispute threatens to
   further isolate Ankara, which is already facing a major crisis with
   Washington.

   Ankara is ruling out backing down on the increasingly bitter dispute
   over the search for hydrocarbons in the eastern Mediterranean waters
   off Cyprus. "We continue and will continue to search (or gas) in those
   areas, Cypriot waters," Erdogan also said Sunday on TV.

   The island is ethnically divided between Greek and Turkish Cypriots
   since Turkey militarily intervened in 1974 in response to an Athens
   inspired military coup. The Greek Cypriot's are the only
   internationally recognized administration and insist it has control
   over the search for hydrocarbons with the creation of an Exclusive
   Economic Zone (EEZ).

   Ankara claims, as a guarantor for the Turkish Cypriots under an
   international agreement, it's protecting ethnic Turks rights. "Turkey
   cannot give up the protection of the Turks on the island, it doesn't
   matter who is ruling Turkey," said international relations professor
   Huseyin Bagci of Ankara's Middle East Technical University, "one has to
   see this from the historical perspective."

   However, Turkey could pay a heavy price for its stance. "We have agreed
   to prepare the ground in the coming week that the (European Union)
   summit take the relevant decisions, even sanctions against Turkey,"
   said Greek Prime Minister Tsipras Sunday, "if it is verified that there
   has been a drill (by Turkey) in the Cypriot EEZ."
   Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu attends Islamic Summit of
   the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Mecca, Saudi Arabia,
   June 1, 2019. data-embed-button=

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