Cyprus Accuses Turkey of Blocking Energy Link While Threatening Island

UNITED NATIONS, Cyprus Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos labeled Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan as hypocritical and provocative regarding his comments on Gaza. At the same time, he warned that Ankara is actively trying to block a major energy project linking Israel, Cyprus, and Europe.

Kombos told Fox News Digital during an interview at the U.N. General Assembly that Turkey has been making threats against Cyprus, especially within the exclusive economic zone. He noted that these threats are not just words but actions already in progress along the island's borders.

The core issue involves the Great Sea Interconnector, a planned subsea electricity cable meant to link Israel to Cyprus and then connect Cyprus to Greece. This infrastructure would finally integrate the island into Europe's main power grid.

"The main project of the electrical connection between Greece-Cyprus and then Cyprus-Israel has been blocked by Turkey because of illegal claims they have in terms of delimitation in the exclusive economic zone," Kombos explained to reporters.

This roughly €1.9 billion initiative is designed to carry up to 1,000 megawatts across more than 1,200 kilometers of underwater cable. The European Union has already committed €657 million to the Cyprus-Crete section. That funding aims to end Cyprus' isolation from the European electricity system and eventually tie Israel directly into the European market.

Financial delays have already slowed the project down due to competing maritime claims between Greece and Turkey in the Eastern Mediterranean. Geopolitical tensions continue to cloud these plans as neighbors argue over their rights under international law.

"The fact that we have someone challenging all the bases and all the norms of international law cannot be the answer to how we plan the future of our people," Kombos stated firmly during the interview.

These tensions also shaped his sharp response to Erdoğan's speech at the U.N. General Assembly on Sept. 22. Kombos said he and Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides decided to stay in the room to hear the Turkish leader address the world body. Both men felt a deep sense of discomfort watching the rhetoric unfold before them.

"We are both, at the same time, thinking that this is hypocritical and provocative," Kombos said regarding Erdoğan's words.

Erdoğan delivered a blistering attack on Israel during his U.N. address, accusing the Israeli government of refusing to end its occupation. He claimed Gaza had become the most inhumane and shameful concentration camp of our time. He also accused Israel of having a genocidal mindset. Israel has repeatedly rejected allegations that it is committing genocide in Gaza.

Kombos pointed out that Erdoğan's appeals to the U.N. Charter stood in stark contrast to Turkey's record on the divided Mediterranean island. "It's an ongoing violation, an act of aggression, of invasion, of occupation," he said. He argued this clearly shows a distance between rhetoric and action, words and deeds.

Cyprus has been divided since 1974 when a coup backed by Greece's then-military junta led to a Turkish military intervention. That event left the island split in two parts that remain apart today. The internationally recognized Republic of Cyprus controls the south while the northern third is administered by Turkish Cypriots with Turkey's support.

The self-declared Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus is recognized only by Turkey, and a U.N.-patrolled buffer zone separates the two sides. Efforts to reunify the island have repeatedly stalled over the years despite international pressure. The U.N.-backed framework has centered on a bizonal, bicommunal federation while Turkey has in recent years backed a two-state solution.

Kombos said Cyprus wants negotiations to resume from where they broke down in 2017 but argued that progress ultimately depends on Ankara. "We need Turkey to give the green light to the Turkish Cypriot leadership," he said. He added that a two-state approach runs contrary to everything this very organization and the United Nations Security Council have decided.

The U.N. has recently stepped up efforts to revive the process as regional leaders face growing threats from Iran, Gaza, and Houthi forces.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres flew to Cyprus between July 28 and 29 for meetings with Christodoulides and Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhürman. The goal was clear: push talks forward toward a comprehensive and sustainable settlement. During his visit, Kombos also voiced worry about Turkey potentially getting U.S. F-35 stealth fighter jets.

"This is something that is of concern to us, of course, as well as to other countries in the region," he stated. "We cannot just accept this as the usual day at the office. This is something that's important. It's upsetting regional balances."

While these worries simmer, Cyprus has drawn significantly closer to Washington. Kombos noted the U.S.-Cyprus relationship sits probably right now at the highest level we have ever been. Strategic dialogue, military cooperation, and joint exercises all play a part here. Officials are also working hard to make Cypriot facilities compatible with assets used by the U.S. and NATO partners.

Earlier this month, Washington renewed Cyprus' exemption from U.S. International Traffic in Arms Regulations restrictions for fiscal year 2027. This move allows transfers of US defense articles and services. Cyprus remains eligible for U.S. Foreign Military Sales and the Excess Defense Articles program too.

"We want to make sure that we are an active, useful partner in the international system," Kombos said. He argued that Cyprus' location plus close ties with Israel, Gulf states, Europe and the US give it an increasingly important regional role. Fox News' Sydney Finver contributed to this report.