Christodoulides: Cyprus Has Done Its Part for Great Sea Interconnector Seabed Surveys

Nicosia, Cyprus. President Nikos Christodoulides said on Monday that the government has completed every step that falls within its remit ahead of the seabed surveys for the Great Sea Interconnector (GSI) project. He added that the €25 million payment to Greece’s ADMIE, the independent transmission system operator, for the electricity interconnection is going ahead as scheduled.

Navtex and the surveys

Asked by journalists whether there had been progress on a Navtex for the surveys, Christodoulides said it was best to keep public comment to a minimum, as “the less we say publicly, the better”. He noted that this reflected an informal understanding with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and French President Emmanuel Macron. He emphasised that Cyprus had carried out all the steps required of it.

Related: House legal affairs committee reviews bill on online harassment and invasive surveillance

RelatedHouse legal affairs committee reviews bill on online harassment and invasive surveillance

Payment to ADMIE

Questioned on when the €25 million would be released to ADMIE, the president replied that everything was moving according to plan and that the government was meeting the commitments it had made. He said the necessary actions were being taken away from public attention.

Gas pipeline between Turkey and the north

Christodoulides was also asked about the Turkish Cypriot side’s response to Cyprus bringing the planned natural gas pipeline between Turkey and the occupied north to the attention of the European Union. He said he saw no grounds for objections and declared, “Of course we acted correctly”. He described the proposed pipeline as illegal. He added that the EU had already set out its position and taken specific steps towards Turkey on the matter.