Ünal Üstel: The European Union will not be able to stop the gas project of Türkiye and the TRNC

TRNC Prime Minister Ünal Üstel criticized a statement by the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Kaja Kallas, who called for respect for the sovereign rights of the Republic of Cyprus after the signing of an agreement on the construction of a gas pipeline between Türkiye and the TRNC.

According to Üstel, the European Union has long since lost its neutral position on the Cyprus issue and supports exclusively the interests of the Greek Cypriot side. He stated that neither the Republic of Cyprus nor the EU will be able to prevent the implementation of the gas pipeline project.

The prime minister also recalled that an earlier project to connect the TRNC to Türkiye’s energy system faced obstacles which, according to him, were caused by actions of the Greek Cypriot side.

Üstel emphasized that the agreement with Türkiye is aimed at strengthening the TRNC’s energy security and economic development and does not pose a threat to other countries. At the same time, he called on the Greek Cypriot side to view energy as a field for cooperation rather than political confrontation.

According to him, joint TRNC and Türkiye projects in the areas of energy, transport and infrastructure will continue regardless of external pressure.