Turkey Condemns Signing of Maritime Border Agreement Between Lebanon and Cyprus

The spokesperson for the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Oncu Kucali, criticized the maritime border agreement signed yesterday by Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and his Cypriot counterpart Nikos Christodoulides, according to Anadolu Agency.

Kucali stated: "The administration of Southern Cyprus has been signing bilateral agreements with countries in the region to delineate the maritime areas surrounding the island since 2003, without any consideration for the Turkish Cypriots, who are a party with equal sovereignty over Cyprus."

He clarified that "the area covered by the agreement is outside Turkey's continental shelf in the Eastern Mediterranean, which Ankara officially registered with the United Nations on March 18, 2020," emphasizing that his country "addresses this issue from the perspective of the Cyprus issue and the rights of Turkish Cypriots."

He stressed that "Lebanon or any other coastal state in the region signing such agreements with the administration of Southern Cyprus directly affects the equal rights and interests of Turkish Cypriots on the island."

The spokesperson said: "The administration of Southern Cyprus does not represent the Turkish Cypriots nor the island as a whole, and it has no authority to take unilateral steps concerning the island as a whole."

Kucali called on the international community, especially the countries in the region, to "not support these unilateral actions and not participate in attempts to seize the legitimate rights and interests of Turkish Cypriots, who constitute an equal part of the sovereignty over the island."

He concluded his statements by affirming that "Turkey, in cooperation with the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, will continue to firmly defend the rights and interests of Turkish Cypriots."