NICOSIA, Sept. 30 (Xinhua) -- Tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean cannot be solved by unilateral action, foreign ministers of Cyprus and Spain said at a joint press conference after talks in Nicosia on Wednesday.
Spain's Foreign Affairs Minister Arancha Gonzalez Laya, who paid a one-day visit to Cyprus, made it clear that she was referring to tensions with Turkey.
"My visit to Cyprus is very clearly meant to send a signal to you ... of solidarity, of support to Cyprus in the face of tensions, Tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean region. Tensions with Turkey," she said.
"We do not believe that there is a unilateral solution to the problems of the Eastern Mediterranean region. Therefore we reject unilateral moves that are not helping in finding a long-lasting solution," the Spanish official said.
"The only avenue for a long-lasting solution is through negotiations, through dialogue, which is what Spain has been advocating between Greece and Turkey and which Spain advocates between Cyprus and Turkey," she added.
Concurring with Laya's comments, Cypriot Foreign Minister Nikos Christodoulides said Cyprus looks to the European Union (EU) and its partners for solidarity in action.
"Concretely upholding our common values and interests and implementing our own decisions is of the essence," he said.
Christodoulides noted that despite the withdrawal of a Turkish survey ship from an area close to the Greek island of Crete, other surveys and drilling ships continue to be active off Cypriot shores.
"Signals of de-escalation have not been extended to Cyprus," he said.
The Spanish foreign minister also met with Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades, just before he flew to Brussels for a special two-day summit focused on the tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean, EU relations with Turkey and the possibility of tougher sanctions against Ankara.
Cyprus has repeatedly proposed talks with Turkey to demarcate their marine borderline.
Turkey and two EU members -- Greece and Cyprus -- were engaged in a war of words over oil and gas reserves and maritime rights in the disputed waters, prompting fears that tensions will continue to rise.
Turkish Foreign Ministry had said EU countries should abandon a policy of "blindly" taking the side of Greece and Cyprus. Enditem
