On Wednesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov discussed the situation in Libya and the latest developments in the eastern Mediterranean in a telephone conversation with his Cypriot counterpart, Nikos Christodoulides.
In a statement, the Russian Foreign Ministry said that the two Ministers had a comprehensive exchange of opinions on a number of regional issues. They focused on the importance of reaching a peaceful settlement and ending the escalating violence in Libya.
On Saturday, Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades said that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was pursuing risky strategies to turn Turkey into a Mediterranean superpower.
In an interview with the German newspaper Die Welt, Anastasiades added that illegal activities in Cypriot waters were part of Turkey’s expansionist policies in the eastern Mediterranean.
He noted that there were other examples of these expansion activities in Syria, Libya, and in Greece’s territorial waters.
The Cypriot President explained that the Turkish drilling operations off the coast of Cyprus contradict international law and violate the sovereignty of Cyprus, noting that Turkey was not willing to resume dialogue.