Üstel: Türkiye–TRNC gas pipeline will go ahead

In a statement on Sunday, Üstel said Turkish Cypriots would not give up their rights in the Eastern Mediterranean or abandon strategic projects undertaken with Türkiye.

“The Türkiye–TRNC Natural Gas Pipeline will continue at full speed, will be completed, and the Turkish Cypriot people will benefit from it,” he said.

Üstel criticised diplomatic representations made by the Greek Cypriot administration to the United Nations and European Union over Turkish and Turkish Cypriot activities in the region.

He said a letter to the UN had complained about the activities of the vessel Akdeniz Araştırma 1 and claimed that its work required permission from the Greek Cypriot leadership.

Rejecting that position, Üstel said Türkiye and the TRNC would continue research and survey work based on what he described as their legitimate rights in the Eastern Mediterranean.

He also criticised Greek Cypriot Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos over his objections to the pipeline project.

Üstel argued that the Greek Cypriot administration, which signs agreements with other countries, had no authority to interfere with decisions and projects undertaken by the TRNC.

He said the pipeline would strengthen ties with Türkiye and contribute to Turkish Cypriot prosperity, following the project that brought water to North Cyprus from Türkiye.

The prime minister also renewed an offer of co-operation, saying the door remained open to the Greek Cypriot side on both water and natural gas.

He called on Greek Cypriots to challenge their leadership’s approach and argued that peaceful coexistence between “two separate peoples and two separate states” would serve both communities.

Accepting that position, he said, was a prerequisite for lasting peace and stability in Cyprus.