Turkish Cypriot official says Turkey-Cyprus gas pipeline has drawn international interest

Nicosia, Cyprus. Turkish Cypriot ‘energy minister’ Hasan Tacoy said on Thursday that plans for a natural gas pipeline between Turkey and Cyprus had “generated enthusiasm within the international community”. The Republic of Cyprus has protested the agreement between Turkey and the Turkish Cypriot authorities concerning the project.

Survey work and proposed benefits

Tacoy cited Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar’s announcement on Wednesday that “offshore operations have begun” for seabed surveys ahead of laying the pipeline. Bayraktar also said foreign companies had shown interest in its construction phase. Tacoy said that interest showed the project had attracted support beyond the Turkish Cypriot authorities.

Tacoy described progress on the pipeline as a crucial step towards meeting the energy needs of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and addressing its current problems. He said Turkish Cypriots held rights to hydrocarbon reserves in the eastern Mediterranean and that transporting gas was as important as extracting it. In his view, a pipeline between Turkey and the TRNC could resolve electricity issues and provide the most rational route for gas extracted from the region. He thanked Turkey for its support and said the project could change the future of the Turkish Cypriots and the wider region.

Republic of Cyprus protests agreement

The Republic of Cyprus’ permanent representative to the United Nations, Maria Michael, wrote to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to protest the agreement on the pipeline’s construction.

“The signing of the purported ‘memorandum of understanding’ constitutes yet another deliberate and provocative action by Turkey, in violation of international law, including the relevant resolutions of the security council on Cyprus,” she wrote.