Turkish Cypriot Prime Minister Ünal Üstel criticized the Greek Cypriot administration later on Sunday for taking a natural gas pipeline agreement between Türkiye and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) to the United Nations, saying it has no authority to determine how the Turkish Cypriot side cooperates with Ankara.
Üstel said the Greek Cypriot move was another indication of what he described as its intolerance toward the development and future of the Turkish Cypriot people.
The Greek Cypriot administration has for years signed unilateral agreements on energy and other issues affecting the island while disregarding the will of Turkish Cypriots, Üstel said, calling its objection to an agreement between Türkiye and the TRNC a “major contradiction.”
He noted that the Greek Cypriot side had concluded energy agreements, issued licenses and taken decisions in the Eastern Mediterranean that directly concern the rights of Turkish Cypriots without seeking their approval.
Üstel rejected the argument that the TRNC should seek Greek Cypriot consent for a natural gas project aimed at strengthening its energy security and future supplies.
