Cyprus challenges Turkey’s gas pipeline memorandum at EU Council

Cyprus Foreign Minister Konstantinos Kombos will bring the issue of a memorandum between Turkey and the Turkish-occupied areas of Cyprus to the European Union Foreign Affairs Council in Luxembourg. The memorandum concerns the construction of a subsea natural gas pipeline, which Nicosia characterizes as a direct violation of the sovereign rights of the Republic of Cyprus and international law.

Kombos intends to highlight Turkey’s actions as part of a broader pattern of behavior in the region, noting that Turkey’s alignment with the EU’s Common Foreign and Security Policy stands at only 4%. The Cypriot minister also cited 659 reported violations of Cypriot airspace and its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) to the United Nations during the months of July and August alone.

The Council meeting will also address Russian aggression in Ukraine, hybrid warfare against the EU, and the situation in the Middle East. Kombos emphasized that while Cyprus supports EU enlargement, the process must be based on the performance and criteria fulfillment of each candidate country.