EditTurkey plans gas pipeline to northern Cyprus amid ongoing Mediterranean exploration
State-owned pipeline operator BOTAŞ is currently carrying out engineering studies for the project
Turkey’s Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar announced on 28 April 2026 that Ankara is advancing plans for a natural gas pipeline connecting Turkey to northern Cyprus. State-owned pipeline operator BOTAŞ is currently carrying out engineering studies for the project.
The announcement was made during a press event hosted by the Zero Waste Foundation in Istanbul. It highlights Turkey’s continued push for energy projects in the Eastern Mediterranean, an area where the internationally recognised Republic of Cyprus claims exclusive rights under international law.
Bayraktar emphasised that Turkey has not given up on exploration in the Mediterranean, despite nine deep-water wells yielding no major discoveries comparable to its significant finds in the Black Sea. He stated: “We are working on a natural gas pipeline to northern Cyprus as a new project. BOTAŞ is conducting engineering work. God willing, we can later deliver the gas we find there to Turkey via a pipeline. This connectivity is the most important issue.”
Turkish Cypriot media outlets, including Yenidüzen Gazetesi and Özgür Gazete Kıbrıs, noted that local authorities and the public in northern Cyprus appeared unaware of the plan until the minister’s public remarks. Questions have been raised locally about consultation and transparency.
This development occurs against a backdrop of heightened energy ambitions by Turkey, which imports around 90% of its oil and gas needs. In recent months, Turkey’s state oil company TPAO has signed cooperation agreements with major international firms including ExxonMobil, BP, and Chevron for exploration in the Black Sea, Mediterranean, Iraq, and other regions. Ankara aims to strengthen TPAO as a global player and reduce energy dependence.
The proposed pipeline would physically link northern Cyprus – the area occupied by Turkey since 1974 and known as the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), recognised only by Turkey – more closely with the Turkish mainland. A similar water pipeline was completed about a decade ago. Energy analysts view such infrastructure as a way to deepen economic and political integration, potentially influencing future negotiations on the long-divided island.
Cyprus’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ)
Cyprus, a member of the European Union, has delineated its maritime boundaries and exclusive economic zone in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Turkey has not signed UNCLOS and does not recognise Cyprus’s EEZ claims in the areas where it has conducted its own seismic surveys and drilling. Turkey is a candidate for EU membership, but it doesn’t recognise one of its member states – the Republic of Cyprus.
These Turkish activities in waters licensed by the Republic of Cyprus to international energy companies have repeatedly drawn criticism from the EU and the United States. In 2019, the EU imposed asset freezes on senior TPAO officials.
The pipeline proposal adds another layer to the complex Cyprus dispute, which has remained unresolved for decades. It underscores the intersection of energy geopolitics, territorial claims, and efforts toward (or away from) potential reunification of the island.
The original article by EUalive’s partner Politis can be found here.
Caption: Eastern Mediterranean, Google Maps
Updated: May 1, 2026 - 06:37
