Greek foreign minister says Turkey cannot obstruct Great Sea Interconnector surveys
Giorgos Gerapetritis said Greece will issue a navtex for seabed surveys between Crete and Cyprus as work on the Great Sea Interconnector advances.
Athens, Greece. Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis said on Monday it was “inconceivable” that Turkey could obstruct seabed surveys for the Great Sea Interconnector when they begin in the coming weeks. If completed, the project will link the electricity grids of Cyprus, Greece and Israel.
Survey plans
Speaking to Greek radio station Cosmos FM, Gerapetritis said international law does not allow any country to obstruct electricity interconnections of this type. He said Greece would advance the project in full cooperation with France.
Greece will issue a navtex, a notice to vessels, for surveys in waters between Crete and Cyprus, he said. He added that the European Union is monitoring the project’s progress and that the Greek, French and European sides would take whatever steps were required.
Gerapetritis said European law must be applied without derogations, particularly as the project could face obstruction from a country aspiring to join the EU.
Ownership and EU support
French asset management firm Meridiam bought a majority stake in the project last month. Gerapetritis noted that the interconnector has been designated a project of European common interest and has received a €657-million grant from the European Commission.
He said the EU has a legitimate interest in the project because it would end Cyprus’s energy isolation and strengthen the resilience and interconnectivity of the European energy market.
Greece’s independent transmission system operator Admie, which owned the project before Meridiam’s purchase, was quoted as saying that about 60 per cent of the seabed surveys had been completed.
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657 millions for what…? It‘s good old money funneling for projects that are clearly not gonna see the day of light due to known obstacles. The Turkish navy will not only oppose the research part, they will also have plenty of time (if they somehow manage to get to this phase, which is doubtful) to damage the cable after it‘s been laid on the openly accessible sea bed. So just another European sceme to get tax payers moneys into some Greek/Cypriotic/Israeli bureaucrat’s pockets, nice job!