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Turkey sees three alternatives for Cyprus, all involving gas

29/03/13
TURKISH Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has proposed three alternatives to end the stalemate in Cyprus, all involving the exploitation of natural gas around the island. According to Turkish channel NTV, the Turkish minister said he has proposed three alternative endings for the Cyprus problem. Either the two communities form a united Cyprus state and jointly exploit the natural resources around the island, or, in parallel to ongoing peace negotiations, Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots form a joint committee to exploit and market natural gas. The third option is a two-state solution on the island. ... 15 comments

Israel’s apology to Turkey was anticipated, says minister

28/03/13
COMMERCE Minister Giorgos Lakkotrypis said yesterday that Israel’s apology to Turkey over the raid on the Turkish ship Mavi Marmara had been anticipated.Lakkotrypis is due to visit Israel next month, ahead of a visit by President Nicos Anastasiades in May. “I assure you we are monitoring the situation and we will secure our state’s sovereign rights,” Lakkotrypis said. The head of the Hydrocarbons State Company (KRETYK), Charles Ellinas, said that Israel has taken no decisions. “I was in Israel last week and over there they examine all options...  there is a chance they would sell natural gas to Turkey but at the same time they are looking into exporting to Cyprus,” Ellinas said. ... 6 comments

Turkey and Israel change the gas game

By Stefanos Evripidou 25/03/13
THE US-brokered Israeli apology to Turkey has opened the door to the resumption of close relations between the two former allies and raised the prospect of energy collaboration in the eastern Mediterranean, raising questions as to the potential impact on Cyprus’ own gas plans.   Last Friday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed Israel’s apology to Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan “for any mistakes that might have led to the loss of life or injury” during the raid on the Turkish ship Mavi Marmara, which tried to reach Gaza in 2010, resulting in the death of nine Turkish activists.The next day, Erdogan said Israel’s apology highlighted Turkey’s growing regional clout... 12 comments

Kasoulides: all sides should be involved in peace process

By By Stefanos Evripidou 16/03/13
TURKEY AND Greece should also have a seat at the negotiating table when peace talks to solve the island’s ongoing division resume, said Foreign Minister Ioannis Kasoulides. The new minister was quoted in yesterday’s Milliyet, a Turkish daily, saying that the method of the peace talks employed up to now had to change. During an interview with the Turkish paper in Brussels, Kasoulides said the economy was clearly a priority right now but that the new government would also proceed with the issue of the Cyprus problem. The government will send clear signals to Turkey in the coming months, he said, expressing hope that these signals would not remain unanswered. ... 7 comments

Gas: assessing future scenarios

28/02/13
THE EXPLOITATION of Cyprus’ natural gas will depend to a large degree on factors out of its control, including developments within Israel but also in Israeli-Turkish relations, according to new research presented yesterday.The study also highlights that Cyprus could generate an extra €15 billion in net revenue if it supplied its gas to markets via a pipeline to Turkey rather than from a Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) plant. The latest report, titled ‘The Cyprus Hydrocarbons Issue: Context, Positions and Future Scenarios”, by Ayla Gόrel, Fiona Mullen and Harry Tzimitras, and published by the Cyprus Centre of the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO), was presented at the Home for Cooperation in the buffer zone last night. ... 7 comments

Merkel: Cyprus still a stumbling block for Turkey

26/02/13
GERMAN Chancellor Angela Merkel said yesterday she was in favour of reviving Turkey's stalled talks on its relationship with the European Union but Cyprus remained a stumbling block.Speaking during a two-day visit to Turkey, Merkel, who favours a "privileged partnership" for Turkey in place of full membership, said it would be right to open a new chapter in Ankara's negotiations with Brussels.But she said failure to agree on the Ankara Protocol, which would extend Turkey's customs agreement with the EU by opening its ports to goods from Cyprus, was hindering Turkey's membership ambitions. "I said today that we should open a new chapter in the negotiations," Merkel told a news conference in Ankara... 16 comments
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