The Greek foreign ministry on Thursday sharply condemned the exploratory drilling launched by a Turkish firm in the region of Sygkrasi (Sinirustu in Turkish) near the town Famagusta in the Turkish-occupied northern third of Cyprus.

Foreign ministry spokesman Grigoris Delavekouras, referring to the drilling by a Turkish petrol company, stressed that this is another illegal Turkish move, blatantly violating the UN Security Council resolutions that call on all countries to respect the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of the Republic of Cyprus. The UN resolutions call on all countries not to recognise or help in any way the illegitimate, secessionist entity in the occupied part of northern Cyprus, he underlined.

The spokesman observed that this move is yet more proof of the fact that the Cyprus issue is primarily an international problem of invasion and occupation.

Delavekouras called on Ankara to contribute, in a tangible way, to the efforts aimed at reaching a comprehensive and mutually acceptable solution to the Cyprus issue within the framework of the agreed negotiating effort based on the UN Security Council resolutions and Cyprus’ status as an EU member.