Cyprus ready for maritime boundary agreement with Greece, Kombos says

Nicosia, Cyprus. Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos said on Friday that Cyprus was prepared to establish maritime boundaries with Greece, although a decision would require approval at the highest political level. His remarks followed the Libyan parliament’s ratification earlier in the week of a maritime agreement with Turkey that Cyprus and Greece regard as encroaching on Greek territorial waters.

Technical preparations complete

Kombos addressed the House finance committee while presenting the case for his ministry’s budget for the coming year. He said work towards delimitation had been under way for a considerable period and that Nicosia was ready to proceed.

Speaking after the session, he said Cyprus had made clear its favourable position on a possible agreement. Technical preparations on the Cypriot side had been completed some time ago, he said, but several political considerations needed to be weighed.

The minister described the matter as highly sensitive and said discussions with Athens would continue. Asked about possible obstacles, he said ideas and willingness existed, but suitable timing remained essential.

He also cautioned that the consequences of an agreement could extend beyond Cyprus and Greece, requiring both sides to proceed carefully.

Existing agreements and competing claims

Cyprus already has maritime boundary agreements with Egypt, Israel and Lebanon. The Lebanese government approved the boundary with Cyprus last year, while Greece concluded its own agreement with Egypt in 2020.

A corresponding agreement between Cyprus and Greece remains unsigned. Such an accord would be likely to clash with Turkey’s claims over extensive areas of the eastern Mediterranean under its Blue Homeland doctrine, which also underpinned the Turkish agreement with Libya.

The Turkey-Libya agreement established a boundary southeast of Crete, a Greek island, across waters claimed by Greece. At the centre of the disagreement is whether islands qualify for a full exclusive economic zone (EEZ).