The Greek Cypriot side of the divided island of Cyprus sent a letter of complaint to the United Nations in a bid to stop the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) from establishing an energy lifeline amid heavy sanctions. Maria Michael, the U.N. representative of the Greek Cypriot administration, urged the U.N. to intervene and stop what she called an "illegal" project.
The TRNC largely relies on Türkiye for connections to the outside world as Ankara is among the few recognizing the state, and Türkiye has been a steadfast supporter of the rights of Turkish Cypriots on the island, where Greek Cypriots frequently ignore their maritime rights in particular. Following a much-needed water pipeline, Türkiye is now working on a natural gas pipeline between the two countries, to the chagrin of the Greek Cypriot administration, which has angered Ankara in the past by violating Turkish Cypriot maritime borders.
Michael’s letter, quoted by Greek Cypriot media, was addressed to U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who visited the island last month to revive stalled talks between Turkish and Greek Cypriots over the future status of Cyprus. The TRNC maintains a stance advocating for a sovereign state for Turkish Cypriots with equal rights to Greek Cypriots, while Greek Cypriots favor a bi-communal federal administration on the island. The TRNC signed a memorandum of understanding on July 10 with Türkiye for an undersea natural gas pipeline. Michael described this in her letter as "null and void" and "illegal," stating that the parties had not sought the consent of the Greek Cypriot administration.
The planned pipeline would stretch 101 kilometers (63 miles), including 97 kilometers offshore and 4 kilometers onshore, connecting Anamur on Türkiye's Mediterranean coast with Teknecik in the TRNC. The project envisages two 22-inch pipelines designed to operate in both directions, allowing natural gas to flow from Türkiye to the TRNC while also enabling any future gas production from the island to be transported to Türkiye and potentially onward to Europe.
