Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of Turkey's drilling for energy in Cyprus’ sovereign waters; and whether they have received any request to join an EU maritime force in those waters.

The UK has been clear from the start that we deplore Turkish drilling in the waters around Cyprus. We will continue to call for de-escalation. We have consistently stated our support for the sovereign right of the Republic of Cyprus to exploit the oil and gas in its internationally agreed Exclusive Economic Zone. We continue to consider that Cyprus' oil and gas should be developed for the benefit of all Cypriots. Ultimately, the most enduring way of resolving difficult issues such as this is to achieve a Cyprus settlement and we encourage all parties to redouble their efforts in pursuit of that.

We judge that it is critical for stability in the Mediterranean and for the integrity of the rules-based international system that disputes such as this are resolved, not through force, militarisation or coercion, but through dialogue and in accordance with international law. We will continue to work with the Republic of Cyprus and the wider region to that end. The UK has not been invited to participate in an EU Mediterranean maritime operation in the waters around Cyprus.