Cyprus petitions The Hague to safeguard offshore rights
Cyprus has petitioned the International Court of Justice at The Hague to safeguard its offshore mineral rights, its president said, as neighbour Turkey disputes its claims.
The two countries are at loggerheads over offshore maritime zones around the island, where Cyprus has granted licences to multinational companies for oil and gas research.
Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades said Cyprus is committed to protecting its sovereign rights with every legal means possible.
Turkey, which does not have diplomatic relations with Cyprus’s internationally recognised government, says Nicosia either has no jurisdiction to offer licences or that some zones encroach on the Turkish continental shelf. It has sent its own drill ships to the island.
Via Reuters
