Turkey, Turkish Cyprus to sign continental shelf deal in gas row

Turkey said it will sign an agreement on the delineation of the continental shelf with the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (KKTC) if Greek Cyprus moves ahead with its plans to drill for natural gas in the Eastern Mediterranean, a development set to escalate tensions in the region. The decision emerged out of talks between Turkish and Turkish Cypriot officials in Turkey, according to a statement from the Turkish Foreign Ministry, released on yesterday. The Turkish Cypriot delegation visited Turkey at the invitation of the Turkish government, according to the statement. A Turkish delegation headed by the deputy undersecretary of the Energy Ministry will visit the KKTC today at the invitation of the KKTC authorities, the statement added. The delegation will include officials from the General Directorate of Petroleum Affairs, the Turkish Petroleum Corporation (TPAO) and the Foreign Ministry. The Foreign Ministry's announcement came a day after Greek Cypriot leader Dimitris Christofias announced that US firm Noble Energy will soon begin exploratory drilling to confirm deposits beneath the sea bed off Cyprus' southern coast despite Turkey's attempts to prevent such a move. Noble reported a massive gas discovery off Israel, and close to the Cypriot field, last year. Christofias didn't specify a date for the start of drilling, which officials have said will begin early next month.