The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkey with a statement of its representative reacts to the approval by the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Cyprus of the Maritime Spatial Plan.

The representative of the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ondzu Ketseli, in a statement late on Friday, December 22, claims that the Maritime Spatial Plan of Cyprus violates the rights of both Turkey and the Turkish Cypriots.

At the same time, he states that Turkey has submitted to the UN the external limits of its continental shelf and emphasizes that Ankara is not going to accept the positions of Nicosia regarding the areas of maritime jurisdiction.

He also characterizes as futile “the effort of the Greek Cypriot side” to take advantage of the European Union’s Directive on Maritime Spatial Planning and underlines Ankara’s position regarding the legal rights and jurisdiction of Turkey in the maritime areas west of the island of Cyprus and the legal rights of the Turkish Cypriots in the maritime areas around the Island.

Specifically, the entire statement of the representative of the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs is as follows:

“The areas defined in the “Maritime Spatial Plan”, which is based on a directive of the European Union and drawn up by all member states, violate in this form the rights of Turkey and the “Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC)” .

»Turkey has submitted the outer limits of its continental shelf in the Mediterranean to the United Nations as early as 2004 and most recently in 2020.

“From the beginning it has been stated that unilateral acts of the “Greek Cypriot Administration”, regarding the areas of maritime jurisdiction, will not be accepted and our country’s practices in this field continue in this context. This time, the Greek Cypriot side’s attempt to take advantage of the European Union’s Directive on Maritime Spatial Planning is considered the last futile attempt.

“Turkey has legal rights and jurisdiction over the maritime areas west of the Island of Cyprus and the Turkish Cypriots have legal rights over the maritime areas around the Island. The illegal and completely greedy initiatives of the “Greek Cypriot Administration” are detached from reality, have no force and undermine the efforts to achieve a comprehensive, just and sustainable solution of the Cypriot issue.

“Turkey’s expectations from third parties, including the European Union, have not changed. The negative impact of maritime jurisdiction issues on the Cyprus settlement process should not be ignored. Instead of trying to create fait accompli in the region, the Greek Cypriot side should be encouraged to develop cooperation with the TRNC, accepting that the Cypriot solution can only be possible on the basis of the realities on the island.

Through the Maritime Spatial Plan, the Republic of Cyprus aims to contribute to the sustainable development of the energy sectors at sea, maritime transport and the sectors of fishing and aquaculture, tourism and the extraction of raw materials, as well as the protection of marine antiquities and in preserving, protecting and improving the environment, including resilience to the effects of climate change.