TRNC Prime Minister Ünal Üstel has strongly rejected the Greek Cypriot administration's efforts at international forums against the Turkey-TRNC Natural Gas Pipeline project and Ankara's research activities in the Eastern Mediterranean. Üstel stated that the Turkish Cypriot people's legitimate rights and strategic projects carried out with Turkey would not be subject to any concessions.
Responding to a letter sent by the Greek Cypriot side to the United Nations complaining about the activities of the vessel "Akdeniz Araştırma 1" and claiming such activities could not be conducted "without Greek Cypriot permission," Üstel firmly dismissed the assertion. He said the TRNC and Turkey would continue their research activities in the Eastern Mediterranean based on their own sovereign rights, without requiring permission from any third party. He also dismissed the objections raised by Greek Cypriot Foreign Minister Konstantinos Kombos regarding the pipeline project as reflecting the same mentality.
Üstel confirmed that the Turkey-TRNC Natural Gas Pipeline will proceed at full speed and will be completed, bringing natural gas to the Turkish Cypriot people. He described the project not merely as an energy infrastructure initiative, but as a concrete symbol of the unbreakable bond between Turkey and the Turkish Cypriots, following the earlier water pipeline delivered under the so-called "Project of the Century."
Addressing the Greek Cypriot leadership, Üstel called on them to accept the hand of cooperation extended by the Turkish Cypriot side in the Eastern Mediterranean rather than sending complaint letters to international organizations. He stated that the Turkish side remains open to dialogue on both water and natural gas issues, and called on the Greek Cypriot public to push back against what he described as their leadership's "uncompromising and destructive" policies. He argued that finding ways for two peoples and two states to live side by side in peace is in the interest of both communities and is a prerequisite for lasting stability on the island.
