Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu accused the Greek Cypriot side of dividing the island, unwillingness to share power and offshore natural resources with Turkish Cypriots. “The reason for the deadlock that has been going on in Cyprus for over half a century is the irreconcilable and distorted mentality of the Greek side,” Cavusoglu said in Parliament.

“This mentality considers Turkish Cypriots not equal partners, but a minority, and does not want to share either power or natural resources on the island,” the politician added. He said Ankara called for dialogue to solve the hydrocarbon problem, but despite this, it had to take “exceptional and provocative steps” to “protect its rights on the ground without closing the door to dialogue.

To remind, contrary to Cyprus’ demands, Turkey has not stopped drilling in the disputed part of the eastern Mediterranean. This fact has increased tensions in Ankara’s relations with the EU. German Chancellor Angela Merkel recently announced that the EU will discuss Turkey’s aspirations for natural gas exploration in disputed waters at its next summit in December.