Turkey’s Energy Minister revealed a Turkish proposal to Greece regarding the sale of electricity to the liberated areas via the interconnection cable being constructed by the Turks.
ALPARSLAN BAYRAKTAR—Turkish Minister of Energy“
I submitted a direct proposal to the Greek Minister of Foreign Affairs to allocate capacity on the Turkey-Cyprus power transmission cable – to companies wishing to sell electricity to ‘southern Cyprus.’ This model would have provided the island with cleaner and cheaper electricity, but the proposal was rejected for political reasons.”
Speaking to reporters, the Turkish minister stated that the interconnection could technically move forward, as Turkey is connected to the European Network of Transmission System Operators, but as he said, the process has turned into a political issue following objections from Greece and the Republic of Cyprus.
Alparslan Bayraktar also spoke about the bidirectional natural gas pipeline.
ALPARSLAN BAYRAKTAR—Turkish Minister of Energy: “If
natural gas is discovered in the Eastern Mediterranean in the future by Turkey or another party, the pipeline could be used in reverse flow, and the gas could be transported from the island to Turkey and, via Turkey, to the European market.”
Nicosia has lodged a protest with the United Nations regarding the pipeline, with Permanent Representative Maria Michael denouncing the ongoing Turkish exploration off the coast of Cyprus in a letter to the Secretary-General of the United Nations.
MARIA MICHAEL—Permanent Representative of Cyprus to the UN“
These operations are taking place in the territorial sea, the exclusive economic zone, and the continental shelf of the Republic of Cyprus without its permission or consent. They constitute a further step toward the construction of the pipeline and violate the sovereignty, rights, and jurisdiction of the Republic of Cyprus under international law.”
Highlighting the illegality of Turkey’s actions, the Cypriot Ambassador to the international organization notes Ankara’s attempt to create a fait accompli through the construction of the pipeline.
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
Averof and pamporidis in full campaign mode
MARIA MICHAEL—Permanent Representative of Cyprus to the
UN—"Such infrastructure would constitute a further attempt to create irreversible facts on the ground that affect the territory and maritime zones of the Republic of Cyprus and further entrenchthe incorporation of the occupied areas into Turkey.”
This letter follows a previous one sent to António Guterres last August, which followed the signing of the illegal memorandum between Turkey and the occupied territories regarding the construction of the pipeline.
Report by: Neoklis Neokleous
