NICOSIA – While already hunting for energy in Cypriot waters, Turkey has asked the United Nations to intervene over Cyprus licensing foreign companies to also look it is own Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ.)

Turkey sent a letter of complaint to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres about Cyprus giving permits for natural gas exploration rights to the ExxonMobil/Qatar Petroleum group in two blocks offshore, said Kathimerini.

Turkey’s permanent representative to the UN, Feridun Sinirlioglu, called Cyprus’ decision for Block 10 as “another example among the many escalatory steps jeopardizing peace and stability.”

He said that Turkey and the Turkish-occupied north of Cyprus that was seized in two unlawful invasions in 1974 intend to protect their legal rights and interests against what he called “unilateral acts and provocations.”

As for the other sector, Block 5, Sinirlioglu claims the deal violates Turkey’s rights, adding that Turkey “will not allow any unauthorized hydrocarbon activity within its continental shelf,” the paper also said.

Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades, whose government is a member of the European Union that Turkey has fruitlessly been trying to join since 2005, has repeatedly asked the UN to stop Turkish drilling but was ignored.

Guterres has made it clear he wants no part of the dilemma and failed to broker a reunification deal that fell apart in July, 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana.

That collapsed when Turkey and the Turkish-Cypriot side, which had rejected Anastasiades’ offer to give them 30 percent of potentially lucrative energy revenues, said a 35,000-strong standing army on the occupied side would never leave and as they demaned the right to invade the island again.