Turkey on Thursday criticised a maritime delimitation agreement signed between Lebanon and Cyprus, saying the deal overlooks the rights of Ankara and Turkish Cypriots in the eastern Mediterranean.
The agreement, signed in Beirut on Wednesday, updates a 2007 preliminary accord outlining the two countries’ offshore maritime zones. Its ratification had been pending in the Lebanese parliament.
Turkey’s Foreign Ministry said the updated deal lies outside the Turkish continental shelf registered with the United Nations in March 2020, but added that the move “directly concerns the equal rights and interests of the Turkish Cypriots.”
Ankara urged regional states and the wider international community not to support “unilateral steps by the Greek Cypriot administration” or take part in actions that undermine the “legitimate rights and interests” of Turkish Cypriots.
Tensions over maritime boundaries and energy exploration have long strained relations between Turkey, Cyprus and Greece, with Ankara insisting that Turkish Cypriots must be included in any offshore resource arrangements.