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Join the 1,500 People and Parliamentarians Calling
on the Foreign Secretary to Condemn Turkey's Actions in Cyprus'
EEZ
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- Since 9 February 2018,
Turkey has illegally deployed warships to Cyprus' EEZ to
prevent Italian energy company ENI from conducting
exploration work in compliance with a permit issued by the
Republic of Cyprus.
- We launched a campaign on
Saturday 24 February urging the community to write to the
Foreign Secretary, Boris Johnson, to call on him to
condemn Turkey's illegal actions so that Cyprus can
exercise its legal sovereign right via www.cypriotfederation.org.uk/eez (please
share this message).
- The community response has
been phenomenal so far, with over 1,500 emails sent,
several supportive statements from British
Parliamentarians and the Armenian community.
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On
Saturday 24 February, the National Federation of Cypriots in
the UK launched a campaign asking members of the UK Cypriot and
Greek community to email the Foreign Secretary.
The
email takes less than 30 seconds to send (via www.cypriotfederation.org.uk/eez)
and urges the Foreign Secretary to speak with his Turkish
counterpart and unequivocally call on Turkey to remove its
warships from the Republic of Cyprus' EEZ and adhere to
international law.
Commenting
on the results of the campaign so far, Federation President
Christos Karaolis said, "in the response so far, our
community is sending a powerful and clear message to our
Government in the UK that it needs to unequivocally condemn
Turkey's actions in Cyprus' EEZ." Mr Karaolis added,
"I am exceptionally grateful to our friends in Parliament
for speaking out in such clear terms. We must continue to make our
community's voice heard on this crucial issue."
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Statements from British Politicians
A
number of Parliamentarians have released statements in support
of the Republic of Cyprus' sovereign and legal right to explore
and exploit its natural resources, and to condemn Turkey's
actions.
We
are very grateful to our friends in Parliament who are standing
by Cyprus so vocally at this important time.
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Sir Roger Gale MP
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MP for North Thanet &
Chair of the APPG for Cyprus
"As
Chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Cyprus I
condemn the illegal intrusion by Turkey into the Republic of
Cyprus' EEZ.
"The Republic of Cyprus has a sovereign right, defined by
the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, to explore and exploit
its natural resources.
"The
unlawful action taken by Turkey can only serve to heighten
tension in the region and impede progress towards a resolution
of the division of the Island of Cyprus and of its
communities."
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Theresa Villiers MP
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MP for Chipping Barnet &
Vice-Chair of the APPG for
Cyprus
"I
believe that the actions of Turkey are not acceptable. Cyprus
has the right to authorise drilling in its EEZ and Turkey has
no right to prevent this activity. I have raised this issue in
Parliament and I will continue to press the UK Government to
take action. I want UK Ministers to condemn what is taking
place and raise this matter with their Turkish counterparts.
"It is in the interests of all Cypriots that the natural
resources in the eastern Mediterranean are properly explored
and hydrocarbon deposits are extracted. There is no
justification for Turkey to use 'gunboat diplomacy' to threaten
vessels undertaking lawful activities in the Cyprus EEZ
and I will continue to call for this to stop."
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Kate Osamor MP
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MP for Edmonton &
Shadow Secretary of State for International Development
"Turkey's
actions in the Republic of Cyprus' Exclusive Economic Zone are
an intrusion that ignores Cyprus' sovereignty. Cyprus has a
legal right to access its natural resources, which Turkey
should not block.
"The UK Government should stand up to Turkey on this, and
I urge the Foreign Secretary to call unequivocally on Turkey to
remove its warships from Cyprus' EEZ."
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Bambos Charalambous MP
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MP for Enfield Southgate &
Vice-Chair of the APPG for
Cyprus
"Considering
the United Kingdom's longstanding relationship with Cyprus, and
the right of every country to extract natural resources from
its internationally recognised territory, I ask you, on behalf
of the UK Government, to condemn Turkey's illegal intrusion
into Cyprus' Exclusive Economic Zone and ask them [Turkey] to
desist from continuing with this inflammatory action."
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Joan Ryan MP
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MP for Enfield North &
Vice-Chair of the APPG for Cyprus
"The
current situation in the eastern Mediterranean is a cause of
genuine concern.
"I
urge Turkey to de-escalate the tension by respecting the Republic
of Cyprus' sovereign rights over its Exclusive Economic Zone
(EEZ).
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"The
Turkish navy must immediately cease entering the EEZ and from
impeding the Republic of Cyprus' legitimate efforts to explore
and extract its natural gas resources, which have the potential
to benefit all Cypriots.
"The UK Government must make the strongest possible
representations to Turkey about this matter, making clear that
their actions cannot be condoned and are absolutely
unacceptable.
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Support
from other diaspora communities
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The
Armenian National Committee of the United Kingdom released a
statement in support of the email campaign and said, “ANC UK
strongly condemns the illegal entry of Turkish warships in the
Republic of Cyprus' Exclusive Economic Zone. We stand in solidarity
with Cyprus as it seeks to exercise its right to sovereignty
and call on the British Government to take a strong
stance against Turkey's unlawful actions."
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Mr
Karaolis thanked ANC UK and noted, “the increasingly hostile
rhetoric and actions towards Turkey's neighbours by President
Erdogan are alarming for everyone in the region. It is
important we stand together for human rights, international law
and against authoritarianism in these difficult and
unpredictable times.”
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National Federation of Cypriots in the UK
Britannia Road
London
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You received this email because you are registered with
the
National Federation of Cypriots in the UK
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Sent by
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© 2018 National Federation of Cypriots in the UK
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