Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told Kathimerini on 7 November that the dispute over navigational warnings for the Greece–Cyprus electricity cable had been resolved. He supplied no details of the arrangement. [5]
Greek diplomatic sources said Athens remained responsible for issuing the necessary permits and rejected any requirement for Turkish authorisation. Ankara had challenged Greek and Cypriot notices on the grounds that part of the survey area fell within the continental shelf it claims. [6]
ContextThe French-flagged Abeille Marengo was expected to resume work from Monday, 9 November. The reported diplomatic development does not establish that surveys have already restarted or that the underlying maritime-jurisdiction dispute has been settled. [5][6]
Added Fidan’s reported resolution of the Navtex issue and Athens’ response; survey resumption remains prospective.
Updated ·
Added the foreign minister’s 3 November parliamentary briefing on a possible response to obstruction; no new clash or completed survey is reported.
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Greece warns against obstruction of Cyprus electricity cable
Gerapetritis reportedly told MPs Greece would respond to interference with the interconnector, while expecting Turkey not to obstruct it.
Greek Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis told MPs on 3 November that obstruction of the Greece–Cyprus electricity cable would meet an operational response, The Greek Herald reported, citing Proto Thema. He reportedly expected Turkey not to interfere because of the project’s French and EU connections.
ContextAnkara had previously said seabed surveys required prior consultation; Greece rejected its maritime claim. French contractor Nexans applied for permission to resume surveys using the French-flagged Abeille Marengo. Those earlier positions and the permit application do not establish that new survey work has begun.
ContextUS Senator Rick Scott backed the Great Sea Interconnector during October visits to Greece and Cyprus. His remarks represented his own position, rather than a formal US government decision.
Added Senator Rick Scott's public support for the interconnector and his criticism of Turkey during visits to Greece and Cyprus.
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US senator backs Greece–Cyprus cable amid Turkey dispute
Senator Rick Scott backed the Great Sea Interconnector during talks in Greece and Cyprus and criticised Turkey's regional conduct. Ankara says seabed surveys require prior consultation.
US Senator Rick Scott said during visits to Greece and Cyprus that he supported the Great Sea Interconnector and would work to prevent Turkey from obstructing it. Scott is a member of the Senate Armed Services and Foreign Relations committees, but his comments were his own rather than a formal US government decision.
Scott accused Turkey of failing to behave as a NATO ally, citing longstanding airspace and maritime disputes with Greece and the continued division of Cyprus. Turkey says it should be consulted before seabed surveys proceed for the electricity link; Greece rejects Ankara's maritime claim.
ContextFrench contractor Nexans has applied for a Greek permit to resume seabed research using the French-flagged Abeille Marengo. The €1.9 billion project is intended to connect Greece and Cyprus, with a possible later extension to Israel.
Greece receives application to restart Crete–Cyprus cable surveys
Nexans applied for permission to resume seabed research for the €1.9 billion Great Sea Interconnector. The project links Greece and Cyprus but remains entangled in a maritime dispute with Turkey.
French cable contractor Nexans applied for a Greek permit to resume seabed surveys for the Great Sea Interconnector, a €1.9 billion project intended to link the European electricity grid with Cyprus and later Israel.
Greek government spokesperson Pavlos Marinakis said work by a French vessel could begin after approval by the ministerial committee responsible for marine research and the coast guard. The coast guard published the application for use of the French-flagged Abeille Marengo.
ContextThe project has been delayed by a dispute over the survey area. Turkey says prior coordination is required because the route crosses an area covered by its 2019 maritime agreement with Libya; Greece rejects that claim. The United States has said it will use diplomacy to help remove obstacles.
Washington says it will help address obstacles to the €1.9 billion interconnector, whose seabed surveys remain entangled in Greek-Turkish maritime disputes.
Athens and Cairo are discussing a possible eastward extension of their partially delimited exclusive economic zones after eastern Libya's parliament approved the 2019 Turkey-Libya maritime memorandum.
