Yıldırım warns oil firms against drilling around Cyprus

On Thursday (22^nd November) Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey Binali Yildirim warned oil companies against any activities around Cyprus before an agreement is reached between the two sides.

Speaking at an event organised by Dokuz Eylül University, Binali Yildirim stressed that an agreement must be reached between the TRNC and Greek Cypriot administration before any natural resources around the island of Cyprus, including its exclusive economic zone, could be extracted. Yıldırım added that the Greek Cypriot Administration’s unilateral steps are not acceptable and also contrary to international law.

“This is a breaking point,” he said, adding that large oil companies drilling in the area must “watch their step”.

Yildirim stressed that Turkey would not refrain from immediately responding to any attempts against its own or the TRNC’s interests in the region.