Cyprus: President Accuses Turkey Of Breaching International Law By Blocking Oil Exploration

Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades said on Feb. 11 that Turkey breached international law when Turkish warships blocked an Italian ENI drilling ship en route to begin exploration in Block 3 of Cyprus' exclusive economic zone, Euractiv reported Feb. 12. The Turkish Foreign Ministry has described the exploration activities as a unilateral move that deprives Turkish Cypriots of their stake in the island's natural resources. Cyprus has been divided since 1974, and the most recent attempts to reunify the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot regions failed in 2017.