The Foreign Ministers of Cyprus and France, Nikos Christodoulides and Jean-Yves Le Drian, discussed on Friday afternoon, during a telephone conversation, the latest developments in the Eastern Mediterranean, a post on the Cypriot Foreign Ministry`s twitter account says.

It is also noted that the two Ministers decided to continue their discussion in New York next week.

Earlier this week, Cyprus signed agreements with France’s Total and Italy’s Eni for exploration in block 7 of Cyprus’ Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).

The Turkish Foreign Ministry Spokesperson, Hami Aksoy, claimed on Thursday that section of block 7 "remains within the Turkish continental shelf, which has been registered with the United Nations" and noted that "Turkey will in no way allow any foreign country, company or vessel to engage in unauthorized hydrocarbon exploration and exploitation activities within its maritime jurisdiction areas, and will continue to take the necessary measures to protect its rights and interests."

In response to his statement, the Cypriot Foreign Ministry said on Friday that “offshore exploration block 7, which was licensed by the Government of Cyprus, lies within the EEZ/continental shelf of Cyprus, in a marine area to the south-west of the island, already delimited, in accordance with international law, between the relevant opposite coastal states, namely the Republic of Cyprus and the Arab Republic of Egypt, by means of the 2003 EEZ Delimitation Agreement,” adding that “the exploration and/or exploitation of Block 7 is an exclusive sovereign right of Cyprus and does not affect the rights of any third state, including Turkey.”

Furthermore, it noted that "the recent signing of the contract for offshore exploration Block 7 with ENI and TOTAL, as well as the other relevant contractual commitments undertaken, providing for the expansion of TOTAL’s presence in Cyprus’ EEZ/continental shelf, constitute an undeniable vote of confidence to Cyprus’ energy strategy, especially at this particular time juncture, in the midst of the continuing illegal and aggressive Turkish actions."

Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkish troops invaded and occupied 37% of its territory.

CNA