Energy Minister Georgios Lakkotrypis said Turkey’s actions in Cyprus’ Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and the wider region, must be geopolitically scrutinized, as, according to his view, Turkey intends to turn the Eastern Mediterranean into a Turkish lake.
In his speech at the conference of the Journalists’ Union of Athens Daily Newspapers on “Security and perspectives for the new energy routes in the Eastern Mediterranean”, which was held in the Greek Foreign Ministry, on Thursday, Lakkotrypis expressed the view that “Turkey is trying through its illegal actions to lead us to certain mistakes, which will permit the legitimisation of its actions. Turkey intends to turn the Eastern Mediterranean into a Turkish lake”.
Moreover, he underlined that the Eastern Mediterranean could play a decisive role as an alternative source of supply, but also as region for energy routes to the EU. “Τhe interest at heart is not only the energy sources, but also the energy routes”, Lakkotrypis said, while stressing that Turkey’s illegal actions must be carefully scrutinized under this specific perspective.
As regards the energy plans of the Republic of Cyprus, he stressed that Cyprus is expecting that the “forthcoming exploratory program will lead to new discoveries, which will offer many alternatives as regards the forms of exploitation and the energy routes to be chosen”.
Lakkotrypis also expressed his opposition to views supporting the freezing of Cyprus’ energy plans or the recognition of Turkey as an equitable actor in the region, while the latter violates the international Law.
US and Cyprus Ambassadors in Greece, Geoffrey Pyatt and Kyriakos Kenevezos, also attended the conference.
(Cyprus News Agency)
