Greek and Cypriot diplomatic sources have condemned Turkey's latest NAVTEX notice as a "provocative unilateral action," ...

Greek and Cypriot diplomatic sources have condemned Turkey's latest NAVTEX notice as a "provocative unilateral action," saying Ankara has announced illegal surveys in Cypriot territorial waters and continental shelf as part of its planned underwater gas pipeline to the occupied north. The NAVTEX in question, numbered 953/26, relates to a proposed subsea natural gas pipeline connecting Turkey to the illegally occupied northern part of Cyprus. Diplomatic sources say the surveys have no legal basis under international law or the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), since they were announced without the consent of the Republic of Cyprus. Sources described the move as part of an ongoing effort by Turkey to entrench the facts of its occupation on the ground and at sea. The surveys, they said, violate Cyprus's sovereignty and sovereign rights over its own territorial waters and continental shelf. The diplomatic sources also warned that actions like this, at what they called a particularly critical moment for the wider region, increase tensions, undermine trust-building, and work against regional stability. Turkey has not publicly responded to the condemnation at the time of writing. The planned pipeline has long been viewed by Nicosia and Athens as a tool to further legitimize Turkey's military presence in northern Cyprus, which has been under Turkish occupation since 1974. Any energy infrastructure built in Cypriot waters without the Republic's consent is considered illegal under UNCLOS, to which Cyprus is a signatory. #Cyprus #Turkey #EasternMediterranean