Turkish defense officials have condemned a recent hydrocarbon agreement between Cyprus and Egypt, calling it a threat to regional stability, the Hürriyet newspaper reported.
The Mediterranean island is split between the Republic of Cyprus, an EU member, and the the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (KKTC), which is recognized only by Turkey and covers about a third of the island including parts of the capital of Nicosia.
Turkey has kept troops on the island since its 1974 military operation, triggered by a Greek-backed coup.
“Like other agreements … that ignore the interests of Turkish Cypriots and restrict their rights, this agreement is null and void,” defense sources told local media on Thursday.
The deal, signed during Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides’ visit to Egypt on Monday, outlines energy cooperation between the two countries and international energy firms.
The agreements cover two major projects.
One between Egypt, Cyprus and a consortium of Total and Eni aims to transport natural gas from the Cronos deposit to Egypt for liquefaction and export. The other, involving Egypt, Cyprus and a consortium of Chevron, NewMed Energy and Shell, focuses on developing the Aphrodite gas field.
“This agreement signed between Greek Cyprus and Egypt is a step that threatens regional stability and harms the search for a solution to the Cyprus problem,” Hürriyet quoted the sources as saying.
“As Türkiye, we will not hesitate to use the authority given to us by our guarantor role against the activities of Greek Cyprus that threaten the security of Turkish Cypriots and the environment of peace and stability on the island.”
The island of Cyprus has been mired in a decades-long dispute despite a series of diplomatic efforts by the UN to achieve a comprehensive settlement.
During his visit, Christodoulides had talks with his Egyptian counterpart, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, on the countries’ energy cooperation goals as well as regional developments.
In a written statement on Tuesday, the Turkish Cypriot Foreign Ministry urged the international community to “be aware of the Greek side’s uncompromising stance and to accept a foundation based on the undeniable reality of two sovereign states.”