Turkey is claiming the right to veto a planned undersea electricity cable between Cyprus and Lebanon, saying the project...

Turkey is claiming the right to veto a planned undersea electricity cable between Cyprus and Lebanon, saying the project cannot go forward without Ankara's approval. Turkish Cypriot "energy minister" Hasan Tacoy told the Cyprus Mail that any nautical activity in what Turkey calls its "Blue Homeland" requires Turkish permission, whether it involves research, surveys, or cable-laying. "Nothing can go ahead without the Republic of Turkey having the final say," he said. Tacoy pointed to a 2024 incident as evidence Turkey will enforce its position. When the Italian research vessel Ievoli Reulme strayed into waters Turkey considers its own while conducting seabed surveys for the Great Sea Interconnector, Turkish naval vessels intercepted and escorted the ship out of the area. Greece responded by dispatching several frigates, including the Nikiforos Fokas and the Aittitos, to the same waters. Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis has since made clear that if Turkey sends warships into disputed waters again, Greece will do the same. The standoff comes down to a fundamental legal disagreement. Greece and Cyprus argue under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea that islands generate their own exclusive economic zone. Turkey, which has not signed UNCLOS, rejects this, claiming the sea between Cyprus and Crete and east of Cyprus falls under its continental shelf. Tacoy added that Turkey's position is consistent regardless of the cable's destination, saying the same rule applies whether the cable runs to Lebanon or to Israel. The Cyprus-Lebanon interconnection is part of a broader push to diversify energy links across the Eastern Mediterranean, a region where Turkey's maritime claims put it in direct conflict with nearly every neighboring state. #Cyprus #Turkey #EasternMediterranean