According to several political experts in both Egypt and Nicosia, the increasing closeness and cooperation between Cyprus and Egypt as well as the maritime demarcation deal between them will raise severe concerns in Turkey, whose capital has strained relations with both Nicosia and Cairo.
As a repercussion to the ongoing cooperation, Turkey declared that it would reject a maritime border demarcation agreement from 2013 involving Cyprus and Egypt which was set to allow exploration for natural fuel sources.
Cairo responded to the rejection as Turkey’s deliberate attempt to prevent Egypt’s from entering the Eastern Mediterranean’s E.E.Z., which is in fact its maritime right.
According to Mevlut Cavusoglu, foreign minister of Turkey, their country sees the maritime border demarcation agreement as violating the continental shelf of Turkey and therefore declares it as non-active. He added that no other vessel, company or foreign country has any right to conduct any unauthorized scientific and/or hydrocarbon research activity on said continental shelf.
According to Tarek Fahmy, political science professor at Cairo University, both Cyprus and country of Turkey disagree in matters of territory, and Ankara’s pass on the Egypt-Cyprus demarcation issue shows that the country plans to make gas explorations of its own.
