Physical Address
Indirizzo: Via Mario Greco 60, Buttigliera Alta, 10090, Torino, Italy
Turkish ministries and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) on Thursday criticized a newly re-signed maritime boundary agreement between Lebanon and the Greek Cypriot administration, saying the deal ignores the rights of Turkish Cypriots and exceeds the authority of the Greek Cypriot side.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Öncü Keçeli published a statement on his social media account noting that the Greek Cypriot administration has been striking bilateral agreements with regional coastal states on maritime delimitation since 2003 without the consent of Turkish Cypriots, whom he described as the “co-equal and sovereign” partners of the island.
Keçeli said the Exclusive Economic Zone agreement originally signed between Lebanon and the Greek Cypriot administration in 2007, but never put into force, was re-signed on Nov. 26. The area covered by the deal lies outside Türkiye’s continental shelf in the Eastern Mediterranean, which Ankara registered with the United Nations in March 2020.
However, Keçeli stressed that Türkiye views the issue through the broader Cyprus dispute, arguing that any maritime arrangement with the Greek Cypriot administration “directly affects the equal rights and interests of Turkish Cypriots.”
He said the Greek Cypriot administration does not represent Turkish Cypriots or the entire island and therefore lacks the authority to conclude agreements impacting all of Cyprus. Türkiye also called on international actors, particularly regional countries, not to support the Greek Cypriot administration’s unilateral steps.
Keçeli added that Türkiye, together with the TRNC, would continue to defend the rights of Turkish Cypriots, underlining that, “We would like to reiterate that the Greek Cypriot administration does not represent the Turkish Cypriots or the Island as a whole, and therefore has no authority to undertake such acts that concern the entirety of the island.”
The Ministry of Defense also stated on Thursday during the press release that, “It is not possible for us to accept any agreement in which the rights of the TRNC are disregarded.”
Likewise, the TRNC declared the agreement a null and void agreement, saying the deal ignores the equal rights of Turkish Cypriots and risks further destabilizing the eastern Mediterranean.
In a statement, the TRNC Foreign Ministry said the agreement, signed in Beirut by Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Greek Cypriot leader Nikos Christodoulides, was the latest in a series of unilateral initiatives the Greek Cypriot side has pursued since 2003 to claim maritime jurisdiction without the consent of Turkish Cypriots.
The ministry said the deal not only violates the legitimate rights and interests of the Turkish Cypriot people but also threatens to upset the already fragile balance in the region. It stressed that the Greek Cypriot side continues to act as if it represents the entire island, despite repeated warnings and opposition from the Turkish Cypriot side.
“These political faits accomplis are unacceptable and legally baseless, just like previous attempts,” the statement said. It added that the TRNC would take necessary political, diplomatic and technical steps to protect its equal rights over natural resources.
Calling on the international community not to support provocative steps of the Greek Cypriot side, the TRNC said cooperation and stability in the Eastern Mediterranean can only be achieved through mutual respect, dialogue and agreements reached between the two sides on an equal footing.
Christodoulides and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Wednesday signed a new maritime border agreement to demarcate the countries’ exclusive economic zones. An exclusive economic zone is an area of coastal water or territory within a certain area of a country’s coast, where it has exclusive rights for fishing, drilling and other economic activities.
TRNC President Tufan Erhürman met with Christodoulides last week for the first time since he was elected in the October presidential elections.
