The Turkish propaganda and fait accompli campaign enters a new phase in Cyprus, with Ankara and Pseudo-state officials preparing the ground for a December of tension. What has been clear from their public statements in recent days is that they intend to strike on several different fronts.
The first is that of the EEZ, on which they are renewing threats after several months of relative calm. The start was made by the Director General of the Turkish Oil Company announcing new drilling in the Eastern Mediterranean with Abdul Hamid Khan. This is a repeat of what we experienced last spring. Back then the vague announcements had opened up a debate in relation to the area the Turks would choose. Today the scenarios are the same since the drilling rig will move either within the Turkish continental shelf (as finally happened in the summer), or within the Greek continental shelf in areas included in the Turkish-Libyan memorandum, or within the Cypriot EEZ.
In the present case, analysts consider the third scenario to be the most prevalent. This means that the Turks will probably attempt to drill at a point within the demarcated, undemarcated or occupied Cypriot EEZ. There are several potential targets marked on the Turkish map, where it is assumed that seismic surveys have already been carried out. Of course, the Turkish side has not yet decided either when or where exactly to drill.
Faced with this threat the Republic of Cyprus is preparing to activate a new round of pre-emptive diplomatic actions to inform the UN, the EU and other partners. Already for months, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in cooperation with Athens, has opened channels of communication with the decision-making centres which are constantly informed about the steps announced by Turkey every now and then.
Alongside the EEZ front, the Turkish government and its enabler in the occupied territories continue to maintain tension in other areas as well, apparently in an effort to maintain a national election climate of polarization.
Hence the fact that behind the scenes efforts to recognize the Pseudo-state continue, despite the fact that they have fully understood that this cannot be done in practice. Recently, Ersin Tatar publicly denounced that countries that intended to recognize the illegal entity received threats not to do so. He understands threats to mean warnings issued in various fora to states that were approached to take steps towards recognition. It was in fact a proactive reminder that anyone who violates international legality will suffer the consequences.
Nicosia[/B] considers it a diplomatic victory that none of Turkey's friendly states responded positively to the call for recognition of the pseudo-state or even moves that might indirectly suggest recognition. In the same context, he describes as a success the rejection by the UN of the submission made by the occupied territories for an agreement in the form of a SOFA for UNFICYP, which would also constitute recognition of the pseudo-state. However, the Government is not resting on its laurels as Turkey's provocations are manifesting themselves in bursts. Something that is expected to continue at least until the summer and the presidential elections in the country.
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