Turkey on Thursday strongly rejected the newly signed maritime demarcation agreement between Lebanon and Cyprus, arguing that the deal ignores the rights of Turkish Cypriots and therefore cannot be accepted.
Limassol, Cyprus © Mena Today
Turkey on Thursday strongly rejected the newly signed maritime demarcation agreement between Lebanon and Cyprus, arguing that the deal ignores the rights of Turkish Cypriots and therefore cannot be accepted.
Lebanon and Cyprus signed the long-delayed accord on Wednesday to advance offshore gas exploration and boost Mediterranean energy cooperation. But Ankara, which does not recognise the Greek Cypriot government, said the agreement was legally and politically flawed.
“It is not possible for us to accept any agreement that disregards the rights of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus,” the Turkish Defence Ministry said, adding that the accord was also “against the interests of the Lebanese people.” Turkey said it had conveyed to Beirut that it was ready to engage in maritime cooperation.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Oncu Keceli called the deal another example of Greek Cypriots acting unilaterally and insisted they “are not the sole representatives of the island” and therefore have no authority to take decisions on behalf of all Cypriots.
Ankara urged regional countries and the wider international community not to support what it called unilateral moves that undermine the legitimate rights of Turkish Cypriots—who Ankara recognises as sovereign and politically equal partners on the island.
Cyprus has remained divided since the Turkish intervention of 1974 following a Greek-backed coup. Peace talks collapsed in 2017, and diplomatic efforts have since remained stalled.
Lebanon and Syria will in the coming months begin revising decades-old trade agreements to revive their economic relationship following the ouster of Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad in 2024, Lebanon's economy minister told Reuters on Thursday.
High in the hills above Beirut, where mist settles over crumbling villas and the past hangs heavier than the mountain air, stands a building that time has been unusually gentle with, even as neglect has not.
Hezbollah lawmaker Hassan Fadlallah told parliament Thursday that the "ill-fated" framework agreement signed on June 26 between Lebanon and Israel was "doomed to fail," insisting "the Zionists will not be able to impose its implementation" and that "our people will thwart its effects on the ground."
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