The Consistent Contentious Issue of Cyprus
By Benjamin Lutz
Ever since its independence, Cyprus has been embroiled in one of the world’s worst border disputes. The Republic of Cyprus (Southern Cyprus, ROC) is the internationally recognized section of the country that is a member of the European Union and United Nations. It has ties historically to Greece and is a larger portion of the overall country. In 1974, Turkey invaded Cyprus in its desire to aid the Turkish Cypriot population further exacerbating the tensions and formally segregating the island. This created the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) that is only recognized by Turkey.
Division of North and South Cyprus
The international community agrees on a near unanimous consensus (minus Turkey) that the TRNC is an occupied territory. Efforts for reunification have been consistent failures as the Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots have both been unwilling to compromise. Between ROC and TRNC, a hard, militarized border exists, and although ROC is a part of a majority of international bodies, TRNC is a part of nearly none. The majority of its economy is solely dependent on Turkey’s exports and connection.
With all of this background, the most recent EU proclamation on Turkey’s drilling efforts in the Eastern Mediterranean has further fanned the flames between Turkey, the, EU, the ROC, and TRNC. Back in November 2019, Turkey established a joint maritime border with Libya, encroaching on the territorial waters of Cyprus, Greece, Egypt, and Israel. Furthermore, this drilling has massively enhanced Turkey’s reach in the Mediterranean, especially in the creation of the joint Cyprus-Greece-Israel oil pipeline slated for construction 2022–2025, as the pathway now overlaps with Turkey’s expanded maritime border.
These territorial moves have been heavily heavily criticized by the EU, irrevocably damaging the precarious EU-Turkey relationship. The EU directly states, “Turkey dispatched a drilling ship on a new drilling operation within Cyprus’ Exclusive Economic Zone the EU recalls and reaffirms its position as clearly defined by previous relevant Council and European Council conclusions, notably those of June 2019 and October 2019 on Turkey’s continued illegal activities in the Eastern Mediterranean. Turkey must respect EU countries’ maritime jurisdiction and sovereignty in territorial waters.”
In response, the Turkish foreign ministry stated, “The unjust and unlawful claims of Greece and the Greek Cypriot Administration [GCA] and does not stand any chance of contributing to regional peace and stability.”What the EU needs to do, instead of acting “blindly as the mouthpiece of Greece and the GCA under a pretext of solidarity,” is to proceed with common sense while taking international law into consideration as well as the legitimate rights and interests of Turkey and Turkish Cyprus”
The Prime Minister of TRNC, Ersin Tatar, had a similar vitriolic response to the European Union. Tatar stated, “It is a violation of law and lack of vision that the EU still adopts a pro-Greek Cyprus attitude and ignores the rights of Turkish Cypriot and Turkey in the Eastern Mediterranean.”
And finally, the Cypriot (ROC/GCA) government stated, “Turkey continues to pursue illegal expansionist plans in the east Mediterranean by again attempting to drill for gas in waters where Cyprus has exclusive economic rights. This new illegal act of piracy constitutes a further severe violation of the sovereign rights and jurisdiction of the Republic of Cyprus, contrary to international law. This move represents the sixth time in less than a year that Turkey moved to drill inside Cypriot waters.”
These incredibly heated responses come from the decades of tension and intractability in the Cyprus conflict. EU-Turkey and Greece-Turkey relations are already strained as a result of the refugee influx and the COVID-19 pandemic. This resurgence in Turkey’s drilling in Cypriot waters only intensifies the dynamics in the Eastern Mediterranean region. A reunification solution for the island of Cyprus feels as distant as ever, now that there is unmistakable animosity (in the form of press releases) between both parts of the island.
This drilling is not the final straw in the severance of relations, nor is it the first step in showcasing the disdain of a unity plan. However, Turkey’s insistence on their rights to drill in Cypriot sovereign territory engorges an already tense situation. The Eastern Mediterranean region may become the most volatile one in the near future as a result of these actions from the Turkish and TRNC governments.