Ministry of Foreign Affairs statement on the announcement of illegal drilling by Turkey on the continental shelf and in the EEZ of the Republic of Cyprus (19 January 2020)

The announcement of Turkey’s new illegal drilling within the EEZ and continental shelf of the Republic of Cyprus, in areas licensed to European companies, comes as no surprise.

It is one of many instances of violation of International Law by Turkey in the wider region, including invasion and occupation of territory, violations of airspace and territorial waters, and violations of sovereign rights and attempts to usurp the offshore resources of neighbouring and non-neighbouring countries.

The common goal of these violations is to serve expansionist aspirations by creating faits accomplis on the ground.

As we have stressed, violations of international legality – even when they are repeated in spite of the international outcry they provoke – produce no legal effects and create no faits accomplis.

In every case, they are unequivocally condemned.