Unilateral steps by Greek Cypriot side escalate tension: Northern Cyprus

By Muhammet Ikbal Arslan

LEFKOSA, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (AA) - The Greek Cypriot administration’s unilateral steps escalate tension in the Eastern Mediterranean, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) said on Friday.

“It is not possible for us to stand idly by and watch the deliberate efforts of the Greek Cypriot side to escalate tension in the Eastern Mediterranean region and to ignore all the constructive proposals of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and Republic of Turkey regarding hydrocarbon resources in the area,” said a Foreign Ministry statement.

The statement noted that the Greek Cypriot side signed an "exploration and production sharing contract" with the ExxonMobil-Qatar Petroleum consortium, in relation to the license for so-called "block 5".

“This unilateral step, disregarding all our warnings, reaffirms the Greek Cypriot administration’s usurpation of the rights of the Turkish Cypriot people, as well as the denial of those of Turkey in the region,” it added.

“In the face of the Greek Cypriot side's persistence to carry out such activities, we, in collaboration with Motherland Turkey, will continue to resolutely protect and preserve our rights and interests in the region,” the statement said.

- Decades-long dispute

Cyprus has been mired in a decades-long dispute between Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots, despite a series of diplomatic efforts by the UN to achieve a comprehensive settlement.

Ethnic attacks starting in the early 1960s forced Turkish Cypriots to withdraw into enclaves for their safety.

In 1974, a Greek Cypriot coup aimed at Greece’s annexation led to Turkey’s military intervention as a guarantor power to protect Turkish Cypriots from persecution and violence. As a result, the TRNC was founded in 1983.

It has seen an on-and-off peace process in recent years, including a failed 2017 initiative in Switzerland under the auspices of guarantor countries Turkey, Greece, and the UK.

The Greek Cypriot administration entered the EU in 2004, the same year Greek Cypriots thwarted the UN’s Kofi Annan plan to end the longstanding dispute.

*Writing by Gozde Bayar