Cyprus Mail 6 April 2025 - by Tom Cleaver
President Nikos Christodoulides and American multinational corporation ExxonMobil’s vice president for global exploration John Ardill on Sunday met to discuss the next steps regarding the drilling for natural gas under the seabed off the coast of Cyprus, government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis said.
ExxonMobil, alongside QatarEnergy, holds the rights to drill in Block 5 and Block 10 of the Republic of Cyprus’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ) .
Letymbiotis said on Sunday that two rounds of drilling have already been completed in Block 10, which “confirmed the existence of quantities of natural gas in the ‘Glaucus’ natural gas deposit”, and reiterated that drilling is already underway in Block 5.
“These discoveries strengthen the Republic of Cyprus’ role as a reliable energy partner in the eastern Mediterranean and contribute to the joint efforts to implement our strategic goal of energy security and the diversification of the European Union’s energy sources,” he said.
He added that the next steps regarding ExxonMobil’s drilling plans were also discussed at the meeting, “with the common goal of commercialising the deposits in Cyprus’ EEZ”.
“Within this framework, the possibility of collaboration with companies managing neighbouring fields was discussed with the aim of accelerating the commercial development of all the gas fields,” he said.
He added that Christodoulides had “expressed his satisfaction” with the cooperation achieved thus far with ExxonMobil, and “reaffirmed the government’s political will to continue and strengthen Cyprus’ energy strategy in a matter which serves the national interest and contributes to regional cooperation and stability”.
A day earlier, Christodoulides had said he is “ready” to discuss the prospect of delineating the Republic of Cyprus’ maritime borders with the Republic of Turkey to the northwest of the island, if the Turkish government is also ready.
“If Turkey is ready to discuss with the Republic of Cyprus a delineation of our maritime borders in the northwest, we are ready to discuss it,” he told journalists on the sidelines of the Capital Link business forum in New York.
The maritime claims of Turkey and the Republic of Cyprus have long overlapped in the area of sea to the island’s west.
Turkey does not recognise the Republic of Cyprus and is not a signatory to the United Nations convention on the law of the sea (Unclos), citing disputes with Greece in the Aegean Sea over the latter, as the country does not believe that islands have an inherent right to full EEZs of their own.
He was also keen to point out the agreements the Cypriot government has signed with other countries regarding its EEZ, saying, “the countries of the region … have defined our maritime borders for a long time”.
However, of Turkey’s non-ratifying of Unclos, he said the country “does not respect international law, the relevant 1982 treaty”.
On this matter, he stressed the importance of his trip to Paris last week and the videoconference held with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa while there.
“The meeting we had last week in Paris, the videoconference which also took place with [al-Sharaa], is also relevant here. A relevant statement was also issued by the French foreign ministry, which also puts this in black and white – the determination of maritime borders on the relevant 1982 convention,” he said.
After the fall of Syria’s former dictator Bashar al-Assad, fears had arisen that Syria and Turkey may delineate their EEZs without consulting Cyprus and thus encroach on the Republic of Cyprus’ claims.
These fears arose after al-Sharaa and the Turkish government forged close ties in the first days after Assad’s ouster, with Turkish Transport Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu making reference to such plans in mid-December.
He then walked his statements back on Christmas Eve, saying any such agreement would “take into account international law”.
The lack of Turkish presence in the sea when ExxonMobil and QatarEnergy began drilling in Block 5 in January drew the ire of Turkish MPs, who criticised their country’s government for a perceived lack of action.
Ruling AK Party deputy leader Leyla Sahin Usta explained that according to maritime claims recognised by the Turkish government, Block 5 belongs to Egypt and not Turkey, and that thus it is not Turkey’s place to protest against or attempt to stop ExxonMobil and QatarEnergy’s operations.
“According to our Blue Homeland map, this is within Egypt’s continental shelf,” she said, referencing the Turkish government’s ‘Blue Homeland’ doctrine regarding its claims in the Black Sea, the Aegean, and the Mediterranean.
However, opposition MPs were less than convinced, with Iyi Party deputy leader Turhan Comez being the first to register his distaste.
“The maps are clear, that region does not belong to Egypt,” he began, before the CHP’s energy spokesman Deniz Yavuzyilmaz also offered his own disagreement.
“If it belongs to Egypt, why are the Greek Cypriots issuing a Navtex? Do not mock our intelligence. Block 5 off the coast of Cyprus has nothing to do with Egyptian territorial waters,” he said.
Comez then made a second intervention on the matter, demanding action from the government.
“The area being drilled belongs to Turkey. Where are our boats? Why can we not see the ‘Blue Homeland’ doctrine on the ground? Tell the truth to parliament and to the public. The Greek Cypriots are drilling in the TRNC’s territorial waters and we are just sat here watching,” he said.
