Cyprus vowed yesterday to keep Turkey's entry talks on hold as long as Ankara challenges the island's rights to launch offshore gas drilling, in an escalating row among east Mediterranean neighbours over hydrocarbon reserves.

Rhetoric over ownership of speculated oil and gas deposits has sharpened after a deterioration of relations between Turkey and Israel, the discovery of massive gas fields by Israel and plans by Cyprus to drill as early as next month.

Cyprus has blocked the opening of several negotiating chapters in Turkey-EU entry talks. One of those is energy.

"The position of Cyprus has not changed. Turkey must make a formal commitment to the EU that it will end its provocations towards the Republic of Cyprus and stop obstructing Cypriot efforts in the field of energy," said Stefanos Stefanou, the government spokesman.

Anatolia news agency reported on Tuesday that the European Commission had urged member states to open negotiations with Turkey on energy.

Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said last week Ankara was ready to deploy its navy across the Mediterranean in a dispute with Israel over an Israeli sea blockade of Gaza.

Cyprus falls under the radar of the warning since it coincides with Cypriot drilling southeast of the island, a right Turkey contests, and possible cooperation with Israel, whose rights to offshore reserves has also been questioned by Ankara.

Turkey says any hydrocarbon reserves do not only belong to Greek Cypriots, but also to Turkish Cypriots.

The row could complicate peace talks launched between the Greek and Turkish Cypriot sides in 2008, while the drilling coincides with a major push from the United Nations to resolve the Cyprus conflict by mid-2012.

Timing of the drilling itself, however, is unrelated to the Cyprus talks and stipulated in contractual obligations between Cyprus and Noble, the US company poised to launch an exploratory drill in one offshore sector southeast of Cyprus around the beginning of October.

President Demetris Christofias on Tuesday denounced what he said were Turkish threats and said the island would press ahead with drilling as its sovereign right. Spokesman Stefanou told state radio early yesterday that the Cyprus Republic would not be held hostage to Turkish claims, which have no basis in international law. Meanwhile, according to Turkish Cypriot press yesterday, a “crucial” meeting is to take place in Ankara today to determine what steps it will take to counteract Cyprus’ plans to drill. Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu is to participate in the meeting along with his advisor Kudret Ozersay.

Citing a “reliable source”, Kibris newspaper said Turkey was determined to act against possible developments not with the intention of causing war, but to use all its power to prevent unilateral developments”.