Turkey is threatening to physically block the Greece-Cyprus Great Sea Interconnector, the undersea electricity cable tha...

Turkey is threatening to physically block the Greece-Cyprus Great Sea Interconnector, the undersea electricity cable that would directly connect Greece and Cyprus for the first time. The Turkish Ministry of Defense stated Thursday that it "will not allow any unauthorized activity" on what it claims is its continental shelf in the Eastern Mediterranean, putting the project on a direct collision course with Ankara. Turkey's defense ministry argued that under international law, any installation of cables or pipelines on its continental shelf must be coordinated with Turkey in advance. Greece and Cyprus have not recognized this claim, and the European Union has backed the interconnector as a key piece of regional energy infrastructure. The same statement took aim at Thursday's military parade in Nicosia, held to mark the 66th anniversary of Cypriot independence. Turkey called the parade a "provocative action" by both Cyprus and Greece, claiming it does not contribute to trust-building and instead harms stability on the island. Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded following a coup backed by Greece. Today, Turkey maintains over 35,000 troops in the occupied northern third of the island. It remains the only country in the world that recognizes the self-declared Turkish Cypriot state. The Great Sea Interconnector has been in development for years and is considered a strategically critical project for Cyprus, which currently has no direct electricity connection to the European grid. Ankara's latest warning is the most direct threat yet to physically prevent its construction. #GreatSeaInterconnector #Cyprus #Greece