The Turkish government on Wednesday issued a navtex informing nearby ships that it intends to commence seismic surveys for the construction of a natural gas pipeline between Turkey and Cyprus.

According to news website Bloomberg, the research vessel the Oruc Reis will be conducting the surveys along the pipeline’s planned route until August 30, with the north’s ‘transport minister’ Erhan Arikli having said that it is believed that the pipeline will be operational by 2028.

A memorandum of understanding for the pipeline’s construction was signed by the Turkish and Turkish Cypriot authorities on July 10, with Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz having said that “this step taken in the energy sector will be a historic turning point in cooperation between the two countries”.

Meanwhile, Turkish Cypriot ‘prime minister’ Unal Ustel had said that “the project is not for today, but for future generations”, and that “it is a demonstration of our will to leave a stronger, more sustainable and more competitive country for our children”.

On the political front, he said that the signing of Friday’s agreement “sent a strong message to the eastern Mediterranean”,

“The Turkish Cypriot people are present in this region, have deep roots and are building their future with their sovereign will. With the strong support of their motherland, Turkey, they will continue on their path. We know that where Turkey is, there is security, and where Turkey is, there is strength,” he said.

Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar had explained the technical aspects of the pipeline, saying that it will stretch from Anamur, in Turkey’s Mersin, to the Teknecik power station, located just outside Kyrenia.

Anamur is located between the cities of Mersin and Alanya, with work currently underway to connect those two cities with a natural gas pipeline.

Bayraktar also said that the project would in fact consist of two parallel pipelines, each 56cm in diameter, thus allowing the system to be “bidirectional”, meaning that natural gas will be able to be transported to Cyprus from Turkey, and to Turkey from Cyprus.

The pipelines will stretch a total of 101 kilometres, of which 97km will be under the Levantine Sea.

However, it has faced criticism both from Greek Cypriots and from the European Union, with the EU’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas having last week called on Turkey to “respect” the Republic of Cyprus’ sovereignty.

“On the eastern Mediterranean, Cyprus raised Turkey’s plan for a gas pipeline with the island. The EU expects Ankara to respect the sovereignty and sovereign rights of all member states,” she said after a meeting of the bloc’s 27 foreign ministers.

Her comment came after the Cypriot foreign ministry declared the agreement “illegal” within hours of it being signed.

“The ‘memorandum’ in question, which was signed during the illegal visit of [Yilmaz] to the occupied territories of the Republic of Cyprus, constitutes yet another manifestation of Turkey’s revisionist policy in the eastern Mediterranean,” it said at the time.

It added that the agreement is “part of ongoing efforts to consolidate faits accomplis of the occupation and the further integration of the occupied areas with Turkey”.