Turkey violating international law regarding hydrocarbons

Government of Cyprus Spokesman Vassilis Palmas said on Sunday that the Republic of Cyprus was exercising its sovereign rights and conducting investigations in the context of international law and agreements regarding tenders for the extraction of hydrocarbons, noting that Turkey is violating international law and had not even signed the Law of the Sea.

Commenting on Turkish Cypriot press reports that Turkey would be sending out more research vessels at the end of August to find possible hydrocarbon deposits, Palmas said ”Turkey’s behaviour is unacceptable.”

”The Republic of Cyprus is doing nothing more and nothing less than exercising its sovereign rights and carrying out investigations within the framework provided for by international law and international conventions,” he said, adding that ”it is Turkey that is violating international law and has not even signed the Law of the Sea.”

”So, such deafening statements and approaches on behalf of Turkey leave us unaffected and we will continue, within the context of international legality, to exercise our sovereign rights,” he noted.