The Republic of Cyprus has lodged a complaint against Turkey over its illegal actions, after surveys began in the sea off occupied Kyrenia. As the Turkish side has made known, the work is for an undersea pipeline to carry natural gas from Turkey to the occupied north.
Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos briefed his EU counterparts at Monday’s Foreign Affairs Council on the latest developments over the illegal ‘Memorandum of Understanding’ between Turkey and the illegal secessionist entity in the occupied areas of the Republic of Cyprus, it was announced. Nicosia says it is a blatant breach of international law and of the Republic’s sovereign rights.
Kombos linked the move to the occupying side’s other illegal actions. This, he stressed, is part of a wider Turkish plan. He noted that in July and August alone, 659 violations of Cyprus’s airspace and Exclusive Economic Zone were recorded and reported to the United Nations.
The complaint to both the European Union and the United Nations highlights the continuing lawlessness of an expansionist power. Turkey is a candidate for EU membership, yet it thinks it can join à la carte, through a process bent to fit Turkish ambitions and geopolitical goals. The EU may put up with Turkey’s antics and its absurd behaviour. But it will not tailor accession talks to the strategic agenda of any candidate country.
Kombos told his counterparts that occupying Turkey is completely at odds with its obligations as a candidate country. The point is obvious: a revisionist, aggressive power has no place in the Union. Our partners know it. Ankara knows it too. Turkey says it wants to keep its accession hopes alive and to maintain and develop its ties with the Union. But that cannot happen automatically, without Turkey taking steps to align with the EU and move closer to it.
As long as Ankara carries on like this, drawing up and pursuing policies against a member state whose territory it holds by force, its path to the EU will go nowhere. And that is beyond doubt. The occupying power must pay a price.
