Cyprus Mail: No question of linking gas to Cyprob talks
There was no question of discussing natural gas as part of the island’s reunification talks, President Nicos Anastasiades said on Saturday, and Turkey can be Cyprus’ customer after a solution but not a strategic partner.
“It (natural gas) belongs to the Republic of Cyprus… it is a sovereign right of the Republic of Cyprus,” Anastasiades said in a speech at a conference in Limassol on the new challenges for Euro-Mediterranean relations after the Arab Spring.
The president stressed that Turkish Cypriots would also receive their share if the Cyprus problem was resolved.
Turkey, which backs the breakaway Turkish Cypriot state in the north, disputes the Republic’s rights to a swathe of sea to the island’s south and southeast that are rich in gas reserves. It has on a number of occasions sent warships to the area.