Turkey has sent its research vessel Oruc Reis into Cypriot territorial waters and continental shelf to survey a planned ...

Turkey has sent its research vessel Oruc Reis into Cypriot territorial waters and continental shelf to survey a planned 101-kilometer underwater gas pipeline connecting Turkey to the occupied north of Cyprus, according to diplomatic sources cited by To Vima. The operation is covered by NAVTEX 953/26, issued by the Antalya hydrographic station, which reserves a maritime zone stretching from Antalya and Mersin down to the southern coast of the occupied territories. The NAVTEX remains in force until October 25. Diplomatic sources were direct in their assessment, stating that the move constitutes yet another provocative unilateral action that violates international law and the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. Under UNCLOS, any development of energy infrastructure in Cypriot waters without the consent of the Republic of Cyprus has no legal basis, the sources stressed. The Oruc Reis will not be operating alone. It will be accompanied by three support vessels, the Denar Pathfinder, Denar Echo, and Kirici, indicating a coordinated and large-scale survey operation rather than a routine patrol. The pipeline project itself is rooted in an agreement signed on July 10 of this year between Turkey and the Turkish Cypriot administration in the north. That deal set the groundwork for technical surveys and route planning, and Turkey is now moving into the next phase by collecting the seabed data needed to finalize the pipeline's path. Diplomatic sources framed the operation in broader terms, calling it part of a sustained effort to cement the facts of the occupation and a direct challenge to regional stability at a particularly critical moment for the Eastern Mediterranean. #Cyprus #Turkey #EasternMediterranean