President of the Republic of Cyprus Nicos Anastasiades has called on UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to intervene in an effort to convince the Turkish Government not to go ahead with an intended seismic survey or any other interference and violation of the sovereign rights of Cyprus in its exclusive economic zone, as such a realization would strike a heavy blow against the negotiations for the settlement of the Cyprus problem.

In a letter to the UN chief dated October 6, which was circulated on October 20 as a document of the UN General Assembly, under agenda item 74, and of the Security Council, President Anastasiades says recent developments `are not compatible with the smooth continuation of the talks on the Cyprus problem` and `have the potential to destroy the efforts of creating a good and positive environment and to actually derail the whole negotiating process`.

`It is regrettable that these developments come at a time when your new Special Adviser on Cyprus is trying to set the necessary conditions and framework for the resumption of the talks and for substantial negotiations`, the President points out.

President Anastasiades refers to `the latest decision by the Turkish Government to illegally interfere in the exclusive economic zone of the Republic of Cyprus`.

`More precisely, the Turkish scientific ship Barbaros Hayreddin Pasa, accompanied by two other support vessels, will carry out a seismic survey from 20 October to 30 December 2014 in the southern sea of Cyprus and more specifically in blocks 1, 2, 3, 8 and 9 of the exclusive economic zone of the Republic of Cyprus. For that purpose, Turkey already issued a navigational telex directive, through which it designated certain areas of the exclusive economic zone of the Republic of Cyprus as reserved`, he says.

He adds that `it is worth noting that blocks 2, 3 and 9 have been assigned by the Government of the Republic of Cyprus to the Eni and Kogas companies for exploration and exploitation of possible hydrocarbon reserves in the seabed subsoil`.

`Suffice it to add that Eni and Kogas have already commenced a drilling operation in block 9 in order to explore the possibility of the existence of hydrocarbon reserves, in accordance with an agreement they signed with the Government of the Republic of Cyprus`, the President says.

President Anastasiades points out that `this is the culmination of a continued provocative policy of disputing and interfering with the sovereign rights of the Republic of Cyprus in its exclusive economic zone through the exploration and exploitation of this zone’s natural resources in accordance with international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea`.

`It is recalled that this provocative policy included, apart from continued verbal threats and rhetoric, the harassment of vessels performing lawful activities authorized by the Government of the Republic of Cyprus, by Turkish warships and military aircraft, and unlawful seismic surveys within the western exclusive economic zone of Cyprus by Turkish vessels`, he notes.

He adds, however, that `this is the first time that Turkey decided to escalate its provocation and directly carry out a seismic survey in specific blocks, some of which have been assigned to international companies (blocks 2, 3 and 9), within the southern part of the exclusive economic zone of the Republic of Cyprus`.

`I would like to recall that the exclusive economic zone of the Republic of Cyprus was proclaimed in 2004 and that proclamation was done in accordance with international law, thus ensuring the Republic’s exclusive sovereign rights and jurisdiction in relation to that area`, the President says.

He points out that `the foregoing Turkish intentions as well as their timing give rise to grave concerns`, adding that `they point to the increasingly aggressive nature of Turkey’s actions in areas in the eastern Mediterranean under the jurisdiction of the Republic of Cyprus`.

`Their timing, in the midst of a process aiming to reunify the island, serves only to undermine the process and to raise more doubts as to Turkey’s commitment to it. In addition, these intentions contribute towards the increase of the overall tension in the eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East`, the President says.

He points out that `so far, I have provided you with ample proof of my goodwill and good faith in pursuing the negotiations for the settlement of the Cyprus problem and the efforts for a negotiated solution, as soon as possible`, adding however that `in order to be successful in that endeavour, all sides should be able to show the same kind of commitment and determination`.

President Anastasiades notes that `unfortunately, this does not seem to be the case with the Turkish side, as proven by the above-mentioned latest decisions and intended actions`.

`Negotiating under constant threat and blackmail that undermine all efforts to create the good environment necessary for a successful outcome of the negotiations for the settlement of the Cyprus problem is not just counterproductive. It also has a negative effect on public opinion, which should be able to support our effort for a settlement and needs to be convinced that confidence and trust between the sides could and should be restored. Unfortunately, these latest decisions and intentions of the Turkish Government do not contribute towards that aim; on the contrary, they run counter to it`, he points out.

Therefore, he says, `given the Turkish threats and blackmail, I am obliged to suspend my participation in the meetings with Mr. Eroglu, under the aegis of Espen Eide, on 9 and 10 October, to allow time for you and other Governments, friends of your good offices mission, to convince Turkey to reconsider`.

`I am very well aware of your personal interest in the settlement of the Cyprus problem, for which we are grateful. I do recall that during our last meeting in New York, you expressed your willingness to approach Turkey in order to convince Ankara to substantially contribute towards the settlement of the Cyprus problem. I would thus kindly request your intervention in an effort to convince the Turkish Government not to go ahead with the realization of the intended seismic survey described above, or any other interference and violation of the sovereign rights of Cyprus in its exclusive economic zone, as such a realization would strike a heavy blow against the negotiations for the settlement of the Cyprus problem`, he says.

Moreover, he notes that `your success in convincing Turkey to refrain from carrying out its intentions will be a great contribution towards decreasing tension and creating conditions of stability in the already volatile region of the eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East`.