Greece has flatly rejected Turkey's demand for advance notice before conducting maritime surveys for the Greece-Cyprus e...

Greece has flatly rejected Turkey's demand for advance notice before conducting maritime surveys for the Greece-Cyprus electricity interconnector, known as the Great Sea Interconnector. Government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis confirmed the project will proceed as planned and that no third country's permission is required under international law and the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. Turkey, according to Kathimerini, is closely monitoring developments and has insisted that any vessel conducting surveys in areas Ankara claims sovereign rights over must first communicate with Turkish authorities. The problem is that Turkey is not a party to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and disputes that islands are entitled to full maritime zones, a position Greece and Cyprus both firmly reject. The stakes around this project go beyond infrastructure. In the summer of 2024, Turkey deployed warships in response to bathymetric surveys carried out by the Italian research vessel Ievoli Relume near Kasos, a sharp preview of how Ankara is willing to respond when surveys get underway again. Greece's Deputy Foreign Minister Tasos Hatzivasileiou said planning is continuing normally and pointed to the involvement of French investment firm Meridiam as a sign of European confidence in the project. Meridiam's entry as a key investor has added fresh momentum to the interconnector, which aims to link the electricity grids of Greece, Cyprus, and eventually Israel. Athens says the legal framework governing both the surveys and the cable-laying is clear, and Greece will not deviate from it. The Greek government has also committed to coordinating with the Republic of Cyprus to ensure the project moves forward without obstruction. #GreeceTurkey #GreatSeaInterconnector #EasternMediterranean