US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Philip Gordon has stressed the US willingness to help in any way it can to get the process of Cyprus talks going.

           He also noted that “if you really want to have a positive vision for the future you can picture” resources discovered in Cyprus’ Exclusive Economic Zone “being developed and even exported through a pipeline to Turkey.”

 In statements after a meeting he had here with Cyprus Foreign Minister Erato Kozakou Marcoullis, Gordon expressed his disappointment over the fact that Cyprus talks have not made more progress so far.

 “The past couple of years there was a certain amount of hope especially when we began the process of joint talks between the Turkish Cypriot leaders and Greek Cypriot leaders and that we can get this done and we have to be honest that this process is largely stalled possibly in anticipation of Presidential elections in Cyprus,” the US official noted.

 As he said, “I underscored again the US willingness to help in any way we can to get that process going. I hope it doesn’t have to wait until the elections in Cyprus but if it does at that point we stand ready again to promote the settlement that we just saw clearly being in the interest of the two sides,” he added, noting that this would really have been a win-win situation.

 Gordon also said that he talked with Marcoullis about the dispute over energy. “The US has been clear that we support Cyprus’ right to an Exclusive Economic Zone. An American company is working in Cyprus to develop energy resources off the island. We are equally clear that those resources should benefit both communities and the best way to do that is in the context of the comprehensive settlement,” he stressed.

 He recalled that UN Secretary General’s Special Representative on Cyprus Alexander Alexander Downer has called this “a potential dowry for the island,” noting that “that’s how they should think about it.”

 “It is a pool of potential resources that could facilitate a settlement and make it easier and if you really want to have a positive vision for the future you can picture these resources being developed and even exported through a pipeline to Turkey,” he said, noting that “Turkey would benefit as well.”

 “So that’s the vision we have for the island, a comprehensive settlement from which everyone would benefit,” he said.

 Gordon said that they also talked about other regional developments, including Syria.

“Obviously Cyprus has concerns over developments so nearby including the potential for refugees, and we also reviewed progress under the EU Presidency”, he said.

 “Cyprus of course is the current EU Presidency and the Foreign Minister described her efforts on behalf of the European Union to promote the process of enlargement towards the Balkans and elsewhere,” he concluded.

 Direct talks between the two communities in Cyprus began in September 2008, with a view to reunite the country, divided since the Turkish invasion of 1974.

 Turkey has launched threats against Cyprus with regard to Nicosia’s exploration in its exclusive economic zone for natural gas.

 Cyprus has signed an agreement to delineate its Exclusive Economic Zone with Egypt and Israel with a view to exploit any possible natural gas and oil reserves in its EEZ. A similar agreement has been signed with Lebanon but the Lebanese Parliament has not yet ratified it.

 The first licensing round, which concluded in 2007, resulted in granting concessions to Houston-based “Noble Energy” for exploratory drilling in Cyprus’ EEZ block 12. Noble started drilling in September 2011 and the initial data that emerged from the exploratory drilling and the evaluation checks carried out, indicate the existence of a natural gas reservoir ranging from 5 to 8 trillion cubic feet (tcf) with a gross mean of 7 tcf.

 A second licensing round for companies interested to receive concessions for exploratory drillings in Cyprus EEZ was concluded last May, resulting to bids by fifteen companies and joint ventures. Bids are being currently evaluated by the government.

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