Cyprus blocking Turkey on EU energy chapter

Cyprus said on Monday it would keep up its block on Turkey opening its energy chapter with the European Union, accusing its neighbour of being a "bully" in a dispute with the island over oil exploration.

Cyprus, which joined the EU in 2004, is at loggerheads with Turkey over its long-running division and over plans the island has to start hydrocarbons exploration in the east Mediterranean. Turkey and the breakaway Turkish Cypriot state in north Cyprus say Greek Cypriots have no authority to explore for oil or gas.

"The energy chapter cannot open while Turkey is attempting to block the Republic of Cyprus, an EU member state, from utilising its own energy sources in accordance with international law," Foreign Minister Markos Kyprianou said.

"While it is behaving like the classroom bully obviously Cyprus cannot give its consent," he told reporters.

Cyprus has been split between its ethnic Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities since a Turkish invasion in 1974 triggered by a brief Greek-inspired coup, creating tensions between NATO allies Greece and Turkey.

Reunification talks started in September 2008 with no indication so far of a breakthrough that might end a major stumbling block in Turkey's bid to join the EU.

The internationally recognised Greek Cypriot government represents Cyprus in the EU, where Turkish membership talks have been blocked in several areas because of the island's division.

Due to its geographical position between energy-rich central Asia and Europe, Turkey sees its potential for being the bloc's strategic energy partner as one of the strongest arguments for accession. But it has been frustrated by the objections from the Greek Cypriots.

Cyprus had last year said Turkish warships harassed vessels contracted by the island to carry out research off the island's southern rim. It has divided the sea to its south and south-west into exploration blocks and plans to open bids for oil and gas exploration by early 2010, conducting one round in 2007.