World Bulletin: Turkish vessel to continue work off Cyprus, deepening standoff

A Turkish research vessel will continue searching for oil and gas off Cyprus, Turkish Cypriot authorities said on Tuesday, extending a simmering standoff between rival sides on the ethnically-split island over offshore gas reserves.

The row has already led to Greek Cypriots suspending participation in peace talks with estranged Turkish Cypriots, and on Monday they said they would not return as long as the vessel remained in the area.

Barbaros, a seismographic research vessel commissioned by Turkey's state petroleum company TPAO, has been carrying out surveys in an area in the east Mediterranean claimed by Cyprus under international conventions.

Turkey, which is not a signatory to the United Nations Law of the Sea, does not recognize Cypriot jurisdiction
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