The U.S. State Department urged Tukey to remove the drilling ship Yavuz from Cyprus’ territorial waters, calling Ankara’s activities “unlawful,” the Cyprus News Agency (CNA) reports.
The United States considers the activities of the Turkish drillship Yavuz off the coast of Karpathia in the northeastern part of Cyprus as unlawful, and is urging Turkish authorities to immediately cease operations and remove the rig from the Republic of Cyprus’ territorial seas.
A State Department spokesperson told CNA that “only the Republic of Cyprus, acting through its government, can consent to activities such as drilling within its territorial sea.”
“The United States is concerned about the activities of the drillship Yavuz, which is operating within the territorial sea of the Republic of Cyprus,” the spokesman added.
According to CNA, the US official also said that Turkey’s act is provocative and raises tension in the region, and suggested that all parties should act in moderation.
Finally, the State Department spokesman stated that the US continues to support the attempt to arrive at a fair distribution of Cyprus’ hydrocarbon resources between the two communities.
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