David Lidington, the British Minister for Europe said his government is “concerned by the continued tensions in the Republic of Cyprus’ Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).”  The statement was made in a letter letter addressed to the Labor MP Sir Alan Meale.

“We have publicly stated that we recognise the Republic of Cyprus’ sovereign rights to exploit mineral reserves in its EEZ, and it remains our position that such resources should be exploited for the benefit of all the communities in Cyprus,” Lidington said.

CNA reported that the letter, dated 13 February 2015, is a response to a previous letter by the long-standing friend of Cyprus Labour MP, who is also a member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.