Defence Minister Charalambos Petrides is travelling to Berlin for the Informal Meeting of EU Defence Ministers where he will raise the Turkish provocations within Cyprus’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
This is what CNA reported on Tuesday, adding that the meeting is set to take place on August Wednesday.
The EU Ministers will exchange views on current foreign and security policy developments across the globe.
In addition, the next steps in developing the EU’s Common Security and Defence Policy will be discussed.
The Ministers will more particularly discuss the future Strategic Compass which has to do with Europe`s common strategic culture and common way of defining threats and challenges.
The informal meeting of EU Defence Ministers takes place around the same time as the informal meeting of EU Foreign Ministers, known as the Gymnich meeting, schduled for Thursday and Friday.
Ankara sent on several occasions its seismic research vessel ‘Barbaros’ to Cyprus’ Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), following the Republic of Cyprus’ decision, in 2011, to start exploratory offshore drilling.
After May 2019, Turkey caused a stir by sending consecutively two drill ships, “Fatih” and “Yavuz”, to conduct unauthorised drilling activities of hydrocarbons in the Eastern Mediterranean, at times in areas licensed by Cyprus to international energy companies.
The European Council reaffirmed its full solidarity with Cyprus, regarding the respect of its sovereignty and sovereign rights in accordance with international law and in February 2020, placed two persons under restrictive measures, in relation to Turkey`s unauthorised drilling activities in the Eastern Mediterranean.
