Newsroom
Tensions are quietly bubbling up again in the Eastern Mediterranean as Turkey expresses irritation over Greece’s imminent resumption of seabed surveys east of Kasos and Karpathos. These surveys are part of the massive Greece–Cyprus–Israel electricity interconnection project, known as the Great Sea Interconnector.
According to Kathimerini's Vasilis Nedos, Turkish media over the past 24 hours have been brimming with discontent, casting the developments as provocative and legally questionable.
In contrast, Athens is responding with calm. According to reports, Greece has already completed the groundwork for issuing a NAVTEX, a maritime notice that will define the area of the new survey operations. The decision has been made; it's only a matter of time before it's announced.
An article in the Turkish daily Cumhuriyet highlighted that a Greek NAVTEX is expected soon, blocking off the area east of Kasos and Karpathos for submarine cable-laying work. The report, as relayed by journalist Manolis Kostidis from Istanbul, refers to the interconnection between Greece, the Republic of Cyprus (which Ankara pointedly calls the “Greek Cypriot Administration”), and Israel. The article also found it “surprising” that this move comes so soon after the recent meeting between the Greek and Turkish foreign ministers during the NATO summit last week.
Adding to the noise, the website Turkiyeh reported on Sunday, quoting Turkish diplomatic sources, that the planned seabed surveys near Kasos are viewed by Ankara as “provocative.” According to them, such activities breach international law and the Law of the Sea, especially since the boundaries of the continental shelf and EEZ in the region remain undefined by mutual agreement.
Of course, these are well-worn arguments from Ankara, reflecting its long-standing views on maritime zones in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Aegean. In Athens, officials are fully aware that such issues tend to strike a nerve in Turkey. Still, Greece isn’t about to back down. The project is seen as a matter of sovereignty and regional cooperation, and any retreat now is off the table, especially with growing international support and strong EU-level and regional alliances on its side.
Despite some past technical and financial delays, progress on the interconnection is moving forward. In a key step last week, Greek and Cypriot energy regulators (RAAEY and RAEK) approved a €72 million payment by Greek grid operator ADMIE to the French company Nexans, which is handling the cable work. The sum covers a long-overdue €36 million installment for construction, plus payments for survey vessel charters. These costs will be recouped from consumers, split 37% in Greece and 63% in Cyprus.
Meanwhile, anticipation is building for the arrival of Nexans' research vessels, which will carry out the dredging surveys. And with Ankara clearly rattled, Greece seems determined to stay the course, sending a message that projects on the high seas will move ahead, with or without Turkish approval.
