TRNC Prime minister rejects greek cypriot complaint over gas pipeline to Türkiye
"Turkish Cypriot Prime Minister Ünal Üstel has strongly condemned the Greek Cypriot administration for urging the United Nations to halt a planned natural gas pipeline between Türkiye and the TRNC. Üstel dismissed the UN complaint, calling it hypocritical and asserting that the Turkish Cypriot side will not seek external approval to secure its energy future."
EU Directive 2019/790 Article 15 Attribution • Verified Energy Document
Turkish Cypriot Prime Minister Ünal Üstel has strongly condemned the Greek Cypriot administration for referring a natural gas pipeline agreement between Türkiye and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) to the United Nations. Prime Minister Üstel asserted on Sunday that the Greek Cypriot administration lacks the authority to dictate the nature of cooperation between the Turkish Cypriot side and Ankara.
Üstel characterized the Greek Cypriot move as further evidence of their "intolerance" toward the progress and future prosperity of the Turkish Cypriot people. He highlighted that the Greek Cypriot administration has a history of signing unilateral energy agreements, issuing licenses, and making decisions concerning the island without the consent of Turkish Cypriots. This makes their current objection to an agreement between Türkiye and the TRNC a "major contradiction," according to Üstel.
The prime minister firmly rejected the notion that the TRNC should seek Greek Cypriot approval for a natural gas project vital for enhancing its energy security and future supplies. He stated, "we cannot accept such an approach. The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus has the will to make decisions concerning its own future, development, and energy security. The Greek Cypriot administration cannot decide in which areas we will cooperate with our motherland Türkiye."
Üstel also noted that the Greek Cypriot administration's letter to the United Nations specifically mentioned that the proposed pipeline would establish a "permanent and strategic link" between Türkiye and Northern Cyprus. He suggested that this strategic connection is the true source of their discomfort, indicating that stronger ties and enhanced energy security for Turkish Cypriots are unwelcome by the Greek Cypriot side.
Despite these objections, Üstel affirmed that the Turkish Cypriot side would continue its collaboration with Türkiye to safeguard its rights, strengthen the TRNC, and advance energy projects.
According to Greek Cypriot media reports, the Greek Cypriot administration submitted a complaint to the United Nations, urging that the planned bidirectional natural gas pipeline project be declared "illegal" and consequently halted. Maria Michael, the Greek Cypriot administration's permanent representative to the U.N., dispatched a letter to U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, formally objecting to a memorandum signed on July 10, 2026. This memorandum outlines the construction of a bidirectional subsea natural gas pipeline between Türkiye and the TRNC. In her correspondence, Michael reportedly referred to the TRNC as an "unrecognized secessionist entity" and branded the proposed project as "illegal" and "invalid."
The proposed pipeline is designed to span 101 kilometers (63 miles), comprising 97 kilometers (60 miles) offshore and 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) onshore. It aims to link Anamur on Türkiye's Mediterranean coast with Teknecik in the TRNC. The project envisions two 22-inch pipelines capable of operating in both directions, allowing for natural gas transmission from Türkiye to the TRNC, and conversely, facilitating the transport of any future gas production from the island to Türkiye and potentially onwards to European markets.