NICOSIA, Nov. 16 (Xinhua) -- Cyprus announced on Friday that an ExxonMobil and Qatar Petroleum consortium had started a natural gas drill in the island's exclusive economic zone in the face of continuous oppositions by Turkey.
The announcement was made by Energy Minister Giorgos Lakkotrypis after a meeting with U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Energy Resources Frank R. Fannon, during which they discussed Cyprus' energy program and the expansion of energy cooperation between the two countries.
"I can confirm that drilling at the Delphine target of block 10 has begun," Lakkotrypis said, adding that the drill started on Wednesday.
After finishing with the current target, Delphine, the rig will move to one of two predefined targets, depending, in part, on the findings of the first drilling.
Fannon, who will also visit Israel and Egypt, two countries Cyprus is in close energy cooperation, said he was pleased with the involvement of a U.S. company in Cyprus' hydrocarbon exploration program.
He added that energy could prove "a catalyst for cooperation, economic development and benefit of all the people of the region."
The statement was made a few hours after Turkey's Energy Minister Fatih Donmez said on Thursday that Ankara will proceed with declaring illegal all natural gas exploration licensing issued by Cyprus if the Cyprus problem is not solved soon.
Turkey, which does not recognize Cyprus as a state, and does not accept the validity of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, claims that Cyprus has neither an exclusive economic zone nor a continental shelf.
Turkish troops occupied the northern part of Cyprus in 1974 in reaction to a coup by the military rulers of Greece.
