Cyprus gas dispute

The Turkish Navy is keeping a close eye on the work of the Italian vessel Teliri, which is to lay telecommunication cables within Cyprus' exclusive economic zone (EEZ) that will stretch to Greece and then to Italy. The vessel, which is expected to sail into a potential Greek EEZ in July, is sailing southwest of Cyprus under discreet surveillance by the Turkish Navy corvette Bartin.

The Cypriot government says it does not share views on East Med gas made by Eni boss Claudio Descalzi, who told Italian lawmakers an Eastern Mediterranean gas project cannot go forward without Turkey, with Nicosia begging to differ and pointing to other firms willing to take the risk.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry has welcomed the maritime demarcation deal between Israel and Lebanon and underlined it can constitute a good example for the Mediterranean region, particularly for the Turkish and Greek Cypriots.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu and French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves le Drian are set to meet on June 7 in Paris as part of their joint efforts to normalize relations after a stormy period that caused deep divergences on both bilateral issues and regional developments.

Greece should avoid using the EU as a trump card against Turkey and embrace the current positive momentum, Turkey's foreign minister said on May 30. 

"Only Turkey and Greece can solve the outstanding problems, not the EU," Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said in an interview to Greek daily To Vima.

Turkey's foreign minister on March 1 held a phone call with his Italian counterpart, diplomatic sources said.

Turkey's Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu and Italy's Luigi Di Maio talked about the EU, Cyprus, the Eastern Mediterranean, Libya and bilateral relations, according to the sources.

Turkey wants to see concrete steps from the European Union to further enhance positive developments in the dialogue between Ankara and Brussels, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said on Jan. 18.

"Turkey-EU ties are in a more positive place now thanks to constructive steps," Çavuşoğlu said at a joint press conference with German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas.

Turkey and Greece's foreign ministers are planning to meet in the coming weeks, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said on Jan. 7. 

Turkey's foreign minister lambasted his Greek counterpart on Dec. 20 over his controversial remarks to a local newspaper. 

"Dear Niko, here's some friendly advice for the new year - stop asking for help from others and injuring the Greek people's dignity," Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said on Twitter.

No sanctions coming from the EU will change Turkey's positions on its rights in the Eastern Mediterranean, the country's foreign minister said on Dec. 14. 

"It is not possible to give up our rights and interests in the Eastern Mediterranean just because sanctions will come or because the EU will criticize us," Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu told lawmakers during 2021 budget debates in parliament.