TURKEY WILL HANDLE TWO EASTERN MED MARITIME

C O N F I D E N T I A L ANKARA 001997 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/17/2018 TAGS: EWWT ENRG CY GR TU SUBJECT: TURKEY WILL HANDLE TWO EASTERN MED MARITIME INCIDENTS VIA DIPLOMATIC CHANNELS REF: A. ANKARA 1986 ¶B. ANKARA 1810 Classified By: CHARGE DOUG SILLIMAN FOR REASONS 1.4 B AND D ¶1. (C) Summary: Charge and Econ Counselor met November 17 with MFA Deputy Undersecretary Haydar Berk to discuss two maritime incidents that occurred in the eastern Mediterranean on November 14 and 15 in waters that Turkey claims as part of its continental shelf (reftel B). The first started midday November 14 southwest of Cyprus when a Turkish naval vessel encountered two seismic ships chartered by a Norwegian company. The MFA protested to the Norwegian Ambassador. Berk said he later received a message that the ship "made a mistake." Berk argued that the ROC was engaging in "sheer provocation" by contracting for seismic work in areas known to be disputed and that Christofias was damaging the chances of success in current Cyprus negotiations. The second incident began later November 14 when the Greek Charge notified Turkey that the GOG would not allow a Norwegian vessel chartered by Turkish state oil company TPAO to conduct geophysical research in an area claimed by both Greece and Turkey. On November 15, Berk claimed that a Greek naval vessel approached within 50 meters of the Norwegian vessel and threatened to sink it. Charge urged the GOT to exercise utmost restraint and caution and not to engage in any action that could be seen as aggressive in responding to these maritime incidents. Berk responded that the GOT intends to use only diplomacy to deal with both incidents. End summary. The Turkish - Cypriot Incident -------------- ¶2. (C) Berk said the first incident began around noon on November 14, when a Turkish naval vessel returning from UNIFIL chanced upon two Norwegian-flagged vessels conducting oil exploration work in an area south and west of Cyprus, in an area Turkey claims as part of its continental shelf (see reftel B). Berk said there was no confrontation or threat made by the Turkish vessel, which, he believed, had only radioed to the ships to notify them that they were exploring in Turkish waters. ¶3. (C) The vessels are owned by Seabird Exploration, a Norwegian - Cypriot company, and flagged in Panama and Sierra Leone. They were chartered by PGS, a Norwegian - US company that the GOT had previously contacted when it was bidding on GOC exploration contracts Berk said he called in the Norwegian ambassador on November 14, and she said she would notify the company of GOT concerns. Berk said he later received a message that the ship "made a mistake and would be more careful in the future." The Turkish naval vessel continued on its voyage back to Turkey. (The GOT also expressed concerns about PGS's seismic work to Ambassador Wilson on November 14, see reftel A). ¶4. (C) Berk said he also contacted Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus president Talat about the incident. He said that Talat called GOC President Christofias to express both Turkish Cypriot and Turkish concern about the exploration, but Christofias dismissed those concerns. The ships were working in areas to the south of Cyprus where Turkey claims an indirect interest on behalf of Turkish Cyriots, but had also crossed over into waters southwest of Cyprus that Turkey claims as part of its continental shelf. This seismic work was "pure provocation" by the ROC, and did not contribute to the Cyprus settlement process. Berk noted that under the Annan Plan, all maritime claims were left to negotiation after a settlement of the island's division, and that Turkey continues to maintain this view. The Greek - Turkish Incident -------------- ¶5. (C) the second incident began around 1800 on November 14, when the Greek Charge notified MFA that the GOG would not allow a Norwegian ship, the M/V Maelen Ostervold, chartered by Turkish state oil company TPAO, to conduct geophysical research work in waters claimed by both Greece and Turkey. Berk said he called the Greek Charge on November 15, and informed him that the GOT did not recognize the Greek claim (apparently based on a continental shelf extending out from the small Greek island of Meis just off the coast of Turkey). ¶6. (C) Later on November 15, a Greek naval vessel, T-61 Polimetis, approached within 50 meters of the Norwegian vessel and, according to Berk, threatened to sink it. The vessel radioed a report, and the Turkish navy dispatched a Turkish frigate, Getis, to protect the civilian ship. Berk said the Greek harassment of the Norwegian ship began at a point 35 miles south of Kas on the Turkish coast, and continued to a point 95 miles south, despite the presence of the Turkish frigate. ¶7. (C) Berk said MFA took control of the incident to avoid escalation and made "hundreds" of phone calls on November 15 and 16 to the Turkish General Staff, the Turkish Navy, the Greek Embassy and the Turkish Embassy in Athens. MFA asked the Turkish frigate to pull back from the Norwegian ship to avoid a confrontation. It did so, to 3.5 nautical miles, but reported that the Greek ship approached again. Berk asked the Greek Charge November 15 to call the Greek ship back, and told him that diplomatic channels were open to resolve the dispute. The Greek MFA called in the Turkish Charge in Athens on November 16 and told him that the GOG "did not want problems" with Turkey, but Berk said despite this assurance, the Greek warship continued to harass the Norwegian ship until midnight on November 16. Urging Restraint and Caution -------------- ¶8. (C) Charge urged that the GOT exercise great restraint and caution in reacting to these sorts of maritime incidents, and that it avoid any actions that could be seen as aggressive. Berk said the GOT's emphasis on diplomacy was evident on November 15-16, when MFA took control of the incident and ordered the Turkish vessel to pull back despite continued harassment of the civilian vessel by the Greek warship. ¶9. (C) Berk said the GOT was surprised by the Greek action, noting that there have been disputes in the past in the Aegean, but this is the first confrontation in the Eastern Mediterranean. Despite the two incidents occurring in the same weekend, Berk said the GOT did not believe them to be related. Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at http://www.intelink.sgov.gov/wiki/Portal:Turk ey SILLIMAN