Turkey is demanding veto power over the Greece-Cyprus electricity interconnection, insisting no work can proceed without...

Turkey is demanding veto power over the Greece-Cyprus electricity interconnection, insisting no work can proceed without Ankara's prior approval. In its October 1 briefing, the Turkish Defense Ministry claimed the cable project involves "research activity within the Turkish continental shelf" and stated it will not allow any "unlicensed activity" in maritime zones it considers its own, citing its disputed 2020 UN submission and the illegitimate Turkey-Libya maritime memorandum. Greece has drawn a sharp line in response. Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis said on September 29 that while a NAVTEX notification will be issued to inform neighboring states and seafarers for navigation safety, permission for the work will come from Greece alone. "Permission, however, will be granted only by Greece," Gerapetritis said flatly. For Athens, the stakes go well beyond laying an undersea power cable. Accepting any Turkish authority over the process would set a precedent for every future energy and infrastructure project across the Eastern Mediterranean, which is exactly why Greece is drawing such a firm distinction between notification and permission. This is not a new position. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis stated in July 2025 that cable-laying operations do not require approval from a coastal state and called Turkish objections unjustified. Greece pointed to the Kasos precedent from summer 2024, when survey work was completed as planned after Turkish warships appeared in the area, without Greek authorities requesting or acknowledging any Turkish permission. The project has the formal backing of Greece, France, and Cyprus, and has been designated a Project of Common European Interest. The real test comes when physical work begins. That is when Turkey will have to decide whether its objections stay at the level of statements or escalate to physical obstruction. Separately, Turkey's Defense Ministry also condemned Cyprus's military parade marking the 66th anniversary of its independence declaration, calling it "provocative actions" that undermine stability on the island. #Greece #Cyprus #EasternMediterranean