The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Cyprus condemns the signing of the illegal ”memorandum of understanding” between Trkiye and the secessionist entity in the occupied areas of the Republic of Cyprus, for the development of an undersea natural gas pipeline which will connect Trkiye with the occupied areas.
In a statement, the Ministry stresses that “the ‘memorandum’ in question, which was signed during the illegal visit of the Vice President of Trkiye, Cevdet Yilmaz to the occupied areas of the Republic of Cyprus, constitutes yet another manifestation of Trkiye’s revisionist policy in the Eastern Mediterranean and is part of the ongoing efforts to consolidate faits accomplis of the occupation and the further integration of the occupied areas with Trkiye.”
It recalls that under International Law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), the unilateral development of energy infrastructure and the promotion of projects of strategic importance, both on the territory and in the maritime zones of the Republic of Cyprus, without the permission of the Republic of Cyprus, constitutes a violation of its sovereignty and sovereign rights.
Trkiye, it adds, as the occupying power, “bears full responsibility for the activities taking place in the occupied areas of the Republic of Cyprus.”
The statement says that the Republic of Cyprus denounces Trkiye’s latest illegal activities and will continue to do so in international fora, demanding that Trkiye finally demonstrates respect for International Law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), as well as the relevant United Nations Security Council Resolutions.
“The Republic of Cyprus will continue to defend its legitimate rights, intensifying its efforts at a legal, political and diplomatic level, on the basis of International and European Union Law, in all competent Organizations, including the European Union,” it concludes.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. Repeated rounds of UN-led peace talks have so far failed to yield results.
An illegal breakaway entity declared independence unilaterally, on November 15, 1983, in the areas under Turkish occupation, an action condemned by the UN Security Council and the international community as legally null and void.