Peres: "Natural gas should not bu used against Turkey"

Israeli President Shimon Peres who has paid an official visit to the Greek Cyprus administration made a statement concerning the eastern Mediterranean natural gas explorations which are carried out by the Greek Cypriot administration and harshly criticized by both Turkey and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) yesterday. Peres said that exploration efforts should not be used as a tool of pressure against Turkey in order to gain political advantage and that the resources should be utilized for interests of the entire region. Speaking at a press conference following his meeting with Greek Cypriot leader Dimitris Christofias, Peres said that the exploration efforts were not for the benefit of Turkey. In reply to reporters' insistent questions about the alleged military threat made by Turkey, Peres said that relations between the countries should comply with international laws and that the natural gas to be extracted from exclusive economic zones of the two countries was at the disposal of those countries.