Attempt to Block Cyprus'Gas during Turkish Occupation fails at EUParliament: It Warns Ankara WarShip

*Brussels/EU Parliament/- A pro-Turkish lobby's attempt to practicaly Delay or even Block EU Member Cyprus' Gas findings, as long as the illegal Turkish Military Occupation still persists, (contrary also to EU's current need to ensure the Security of its Energy Supplies), clearly Failed to pass at EU Parliament, where a Big Majority of MEPs, on the contrary, voted a Resolution Warning Turkey that the Continuation and/or repetition" of its "Provocative Actions" and "Threats", "within the Exclusive Economic Zone of the Republic of Cyprus", (and particularly there where "the Italian company ENI and .. the Korea Gas Corporation" are exploring possible HydroCarbon Reserves in the Seabed),"could have a Negative Impact on Turkey's relations with the EU", including to the detriment of Ankara's controversial and unpopular EU bid.  

 

    EU Parliament's warning echoed many MEPs from various Political Horizons and EU Countries' calls for "Measures" or "Sanctions" to be decided by the EU vis a vis Turkey, for Not acting "in accordance with International, Law", but, on the Contrary, "Violating the Sovereign Rights of the Republic of Cyprus, and of International La<, including of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which is (alsoà part of the (EU's) Acquis Communautaire", as denounces in particular the Article 3 of the adopted Resolution adopted Today, at the conclusion of Brussels' mini-Plenary Session of 12 and 13 November 2014, (See also Infra).

    Indeed, a Controversial Amendment initially tabled by certain "Green" MEPs notoriously linked with Turkish lobbies, had claimed that "the .. Exploitation of Natural Resources should ... become Part of the Negotiations" searching during 40 Years now to find a Political Agreement with the Ankara-supported representatives of the Turkish Cypriot Community currently living in the Territories of Cyprus Occupied by a Foreign, Turkey's Army, since the 1974 Deadly Military Invasion. It had, moreover, asked, for EU Member State Cyprus' Natural Resources to "become Part of a broad set of CBMs ("Confidence Building Measures"), aimed at Sharing Resources", even before and independently of any Political Solution to the problem of the ReUnification of Cyprus, i.e. while a Foreign Turkey's Military Occupation of the Northern part of the Island would persist... Something which would obviously result, in practice, into .. Sharing EU Member Cyprus' Gas with Turkey's illegal Foreign Military Invasion/Occupation !

    But, placed in front of the Risk to have its Controversial Amendment clearly Rejected by a Strong Majority inside EU Parliament, the above-mentioned Turkish lobby prefered, at the Last Minute, to .. "Withdraw" its Text, in order to avoid a too obvious Watershed and Backlash by an obviously unavoidable Reject from almost all other Groups of MEPs... And accentuating even further its Isolation, it became the only one Group of MEPs to be alone to even deny its support to the entire EU Parliament's Resolution, which was officially backed by all other Groups of MEPs.

    On the Contrary, a very Large Majority inside EU Parliament, of 535 MEPs against only 110, voted in favour of Keeping especially the Paragraph 6 of that Resolution, which Encourages the on-going EU Member Cyprus' Gas Findings, by declaring that "if properly Managed, the Discovery of Significant HydroCarbon Reserves in the Region could Improve Economic, Political and Social relations between the two Communities in Cyprus", while also "sharing the UN view that any Gas Finds would Benefit Both Communities in Cyprus if a Lasting, Political Solution can be found", i.e. obviously with the ReUnification of the Island, according to UN SC relevant Resolutions, and by putting an End to any Turkish Military Occupation, since, in such case, Ankara would naturally have to Withdraw its Foreign Invasion-Occupation Troops away from Cyprus, as the UN Security Council and other European/International Organisations have  asked.

    - EU Parliament's Resolution "on Turkish actions creating Tensions in the Exclusive Economic Zone of Cyrus",  "Deplores the Escalation of Threats, and Unilateral action by Turkey against the Republic of Cyprus in relation to the EEZ; recalls the Legality of the EEZ of the Republic of Cyprus", which "has the full and Sovereign Right to Explore the Natural Resources within its EEZ, and ("stresses") that the Turkish maritime surveys must be seen as both illegal and Provocative" there, since such "Turkey’s actions constitute a Violation of the Sovereign Rights of the Republic of Cyprus and of International Law, including the UNCLOS", and, moreover, "these actions and Threats undermine the continuation of Negotiations for a comprehensive Settlement of the Cyprus problem", "in this very sensitive Region", which, on the Contrary, needs "Stability", (instead of Turkish WarShips).

    => Therefore, EU Parliament "Urges Turkey to show restraint and act in Accordance with International Law", "demands that Turkish Vessels operating in waters in and around the EEZ of Cyprus be Withdrawn Immediately", as well as "urges Turkey to immediately Revoke its NAVTEX ("by which  it ‘designated’ a large area within the Southern part of the EEZ of ...Cyprus as ...Reserved for ...surveys ... by the Turkish vessel "Barbaros" from 20 October to 30 December 2014", "Affecting Blocks .. allocated to the Italian ENI and to Korean KOGAS), "and to Refrain from any Violations of the Sovereign Rights of the Republic of Cyprus", but, on the contrary, "calls on Turkey to Respect the Sovereignty of EU Member States over their Territorial Waters; reaffirms that the Sovereign Rights of the Member States include the Right to enter into Bilateral Agreements, and the right to Explore and Exploit their Natural Resources in accordance with the UNCLOS".

    + Moreover, the adopted Resolution "calls on Turkey to Respect and fully Implement the Declaration issued by the European Community and its Member States on 21 September 2005",(mainly about the Recognition of EU Member Cyprus, instead of Turkey's grossly Provocative Denials of 29 July 2005 : Comp. "EuroFora"' co-Founder's relevant NewsReports from London and particularly from UNO's Headquarters at New York, 9/2005, published as Headline News at "TCWeekly"), "including the provision (on) the Recognition of all Member States", as "a Necessary component" of Turkey's controversial and unpopular EU bid.     

    Meanwhile, EU Parliament officially "Supports the Rights of the Republic of Cyprus to lodge formal Complaints against Violations within its Sovereign Territory or Waters to the UN and the International Maritime Organisation", and "requests that the European External Action Service and the Commission closely follow Turkey’s activities within the EEZ of the Republic of Cyprus, and Report back to Parliament", under the auspices of New EU High Representative Federica Mogherini.

 

    + In Addition, with a Last-Minute adopted Amendment (tabled by the Socialist Group and adopted with 359 Votes against 222 and 83 Abstentions), the Resolution "expresses its continued commitment to, and support for, the ReUnification Talks under UN auspices for a comprehensive Settlement of the Cyprus problem". It also "supports the Efforts of the UN SG’s Special Adviser on Cyprus, Espen Barth Eide (from Norway), to create the Necessary Conditions for De-escalation and the Resumption of the Talks", as says an Additional Sentence, submitted to a Separate Vote, which, curiously, almost Divided EU Parliament, by getting just 360 Votes, against 271 "No" and 30 Abstentions, while EU Parliament's main Resolution Denounces the Fact that "Turkey’s actions within the EEZ of the Republic of COINCIDE with the Recent Appointment of the New Special Adviser to the UN Secretary-General, Espen Barth Eide, and are Negatively Affecting the Negotiations aimed at reaching a comprehensive solution to the Cyprus problem", (Alinea E).