ISTANBUL, July 10 (Xinhua) -- Turkey on Monday demanded Greek Cypriots avoid taking unilateral steps to explore energy reserves in Cyprus' offshore, citing that they belong to both sides.
"International law requires that hydrocarbon sources belong to all parties on the island," Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told the 22nd World Petroleum Congress being held in Istanbul.
"Our expectation from those who are part of the development in Cyprus is to avoid steps that might lead to new strains in the region," Erdogan said.
He also warned foreign energy companies against participating in Greek Cypriots' projects to explore energy resources around the island, saying "they could lose a friend like Turkey."
Turkish Cypriots have been accusing the Cypriot administration run by Greek Cypriots of unilaterally opening new tenders for hydrocarbon explorations without any collaboration.
Four days of talks between the Greek and Turkish leaders over the reunification of Cyprus broke down on Sunday in Switzerland.
"Unfortunately, a great opportunity was missed in the Eastern Mediterranean last week," Erdogan spoke of the failed talks.
In a speech to the petroleum congress, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim also said that the Greek Cypriot leadership should avoid taking unilateral measures in the Eastern Mediterranean after the talks failed.
"Turkey will protect its own ipso facto rights and the rights of Turkish Cypriots till the end," Yildirim said.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974 and the Republic of Cyprus joined the EU as a divided country in 2004.
The UN is seeking a peace deal to unite Cyprus under a federal umbrella that could also define the future of Europe's relations with Turkey.
