Turkey slams controversial EastMed pipeline deal

Leaders of Greece, Israel, and the Greek Cypriot administration sign accord to carry gas from eastern Mediterranean to Europe, a plan Turkey says is bound to fail.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Greek Cypriot leader Nicos Anastasiades joined the ceremony at which their respective energy ministers signed the deal in the Greek capital Athens.

The move comes amid tensions with Turkey over its exploration in the area and a maritime deal with Libya.

Immediately after the ceremony, the Turkish Foreign Ministry called the deal "a new example of futile steps in the region that try to exclude our country and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC)." "Any project which aims to ignore Turkey with the longest coastline in the eastern Mediterranean and aims to ignore Turkish Cypriots who have equal rights over the natural sources of the Cyprus island will not be successful," the ministry statement said.

It said the most economical and safe route for bringing the natural sources in the eastern Mediterranean to the consumer markets in Europe is Turkey.