Turkey has submitted the outer limits of its continental shelf to the UN and will not accept Nicosia's positions on maritime jurisdiction areas, Ketseli said.
Turkey's foreign ministry, in a statement by its spokesman, reacts to the approval of the Republic of Cyprus' Maritime Spatial Plan by the Council of Ministers.
Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Ondu Ketseli, in a statement late on Friday night, 22 December, claimed that the Cyprus Marine Spatial Plan violates the rights of both Turkey and Turkish Cypriots.
CONTINUE READING
Κομισιόν: Στο Δικαστήριο της ΕΕ η Ελλάδα για τη μη εκπόνηση θαλάσσιων χωροταξικών σχεδίων
At the same time, it says that Turkey has submitted the outer limits of its continental shelf to the UN and stresses that Ankara will not accept Nicosia's positions regarding the areas of maritime jurisdiction.
It also describes as futile "the attempt of the Greek Cypriot side" to take advantage of the European Union's Marine Spatial Planning Directive and underlines Ankara's position on Turkey's legal rights and jurisdiction in the maritime areas west of the island of Cyprus and the legal rights of Turkish Cypriots in the maritime areas around the island.
Specifically, the full statement of the Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman reads as follows:
"The areas defined in the "Maritime Spatial Plan", which is based on a European Union directive and prepared by all member states, violate in this form the rights of Turkey and the "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC)".
"Turkey has been submitting the outer limits of its continental shelf in the Mediterranean to the United Nations since 2004 and more recently in 2020.
"From the very 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 area continue in this context. This time, the attempt of the Greek Cypriot side to take advantage of the European Union's Marine Spatial Planning Directive is considered the last futile attempt.
"Turkey has legal rights and jurisdiction over the maritime areas west of the island of Cyprus and Turkish Cypriots have legal rights over the maritime areas around the island. The illegal and totally greedy initiatives of the "Greek Cypriot Administration" are detached from reality, have no validity and undermine efforts to achieve a comprehensive, just and viable solution to the Cyprus problem.
"Turkey's expectations from third parties, including the European Union, have not changed. The negative impact of the issues related to maritime jurisdiction 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 a Cyprus 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 fisheries and aquaculture, tourism and the extraction of raw materials, as well as the protection of maritime antiquities and the preservation, protection and improvement of the environment, including resilience to the effects of climate change.
