The UN Secretary-General regrets that tensions over hydrocarbons exploration have escalated once again, and emphasizes that all concerned parties should do their utmost to defuse tensions, said a UN SG Spokesperson in relation to the latest developments in Cyprus’ exclusive economic zone.

According to a written reply to a question posed earlier during the press briefing, the Secretary General “reiterates that it is not for the UN Secretariat to take a position on the rights of Member States under the treaties to which they are party or under general international law”.

Moreover, he stresses that “a solution to the Cyprus problem constitutes the best chance of resolving this issue once and for all and unlocking collaborative and mutually beneficial solutions, and recalls that the Turkish Cypriot and Greek Cypriot leaders in the negotiations had previously agreed that natural resources in a unified Cyprus would lie within the competence of the future federal government”.

“The Secretary-General reiterates a point in his latest report on UNFICYP (9 January 2018) that any natural resources found around Cyprus could benefit both communities” the Spokesperson concludes.

Drillship Saipem 12000, commissioned by ENI, was halted last Saturday by Turkish warships en route to a location within block 3 of Cyprus’ EEZ.

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