Turkish anti-navtex challenges Cyprus

Turkey on Tuesday issued an anti-navtex, bringing into question the republic of Cyprus and its right to issue navtex.

The anti-navtex, posted on the website of the Turkish office of navigation, hydrography and oceanography was in response to Cyprus’ earlier navtex and described Cyprus’ station as “unauthorised”.

“Some part of area promulgated with navtex NR. MA92-250/24 by an unauthorised station is within Turkish navtex service area and Turkish continental shelf,” the navtex said.

“Additionally, the ‘Cyprus’ mentioned in MA92-250/24 is not the original partnership state established in 1960.”

It added that “Turkey declares that the term of ‘Cyprus’ neither amounts to any form of recognition of the Greek Cypriot administration nor prejudice Turkey’s rights and obligations emanating from the treaty of guarantee and the treaty of establishment of 1960.

“The efforts to legitimatise illegal claims of the Greek Cypriot administration through MA92-250/24 is null and neither was nor will be accepted by Turkey,” it concluded.