NICOSIA, Oct. 13 (Xinhua) -- Joint French-Cypriot naval exercises are underway off an unspecified point of the Cypriot coast, as a Turkish drillship is stationary in a Cypriot marine block which is licensed to France's Total and Italy's Eni energy companies, Cypriot Defense Minister Savvas Angelides confirmed on Sunday.
He told state radio that the naval drills are being held in the framework of close cooperation between the two countries.
"It also sends a message in relation to exercising the sovereign rights of the Republic of Cyprus in its exclusive economic zone," Angelides added.
But he added that Cyprus remains committed to its efforts to terminate "Turkish illegal activities through political, diplomatic and legal means."
He was referring to the dispatch of Turkish drillship Yavuz, accompanied by two naval vessels, to carry out a drilling in block 7 of the Cypriot exclusive economic zone, which Cyprus says has no relation to the continental shelf claimed by Turkey.
Turkey, which does not recognize Cyprus as a state, claims that its drillships explore either in its continental shelf or in areas licensed by a breakaway Turkish Cypriot state which is recognized only by Ankara.
Government spokesman Prodromos Prodromou, referring to the naval exercises, had earlier tweeted that "France reinforces the Republic of Cyprus in exercising its sovereign rights, in line with the unanimous stance of the EU."
French Defence Minister Florence Parly had said that the drills meant to help Cyprus exercise its sovereign rights in its exclusive economic zone.
"We wish to allow Cyprus, a member country of the EU, to be able to assume its responsibilities in its sovereign waters," Parly said in a tweet.
European Union (EU) foreign ministers and the leaders of the 28 member states will consider the issue of Turkish drilling at meetings next week in Brussels.
In a statement issued on Friday after his meeting with President of Cyprus Nicos Anastasiades, European Council President Donald Tusk has demonstrated the bloc's "full solidarity" with Cyprus in the face of Turkey's continued drilling activities in the waters off the coast of Cyprus.
"The European Council has strongly condemned these illegal actions. And in light of the new drilling activities by Turkey since the end of last week, I reconfirm that the EU stands united behind you," he said.
Tusk also called on Turkey "to end these activities as they do not only undermine the recent efforts to resume Cyprus settlement talks but they also undermine good neighbourly relations between the EU as a whole and Turkey."
Turkey, in a statement issued on Wednesday, noted that "Turkey will continue to protect resolutely its own rights and the rights of the Turkish Cypriots in the Eastern Mediterranean."
Cyprus says that it does not wish the presence of Turkish drillships in its exclusive economic zone to be militarized.
Media reports quoted French military spokesman Colonel Frederic Barbry as saying on Saturday that two French frigates heading to Syria were to take part in "routine" exercises in Cypriot waters this weekend.
Eni's CEO Claudio Descalzi said Eni and Total are planning a joint exploration campaign in block 7 in the first half of 2020.
