Turkey's state television defence outlet has warned of a potential naval confrontation with Greek and French vessels in ...

Turkey's state television defence outlet has warned of a potential naval confrontation with Greek and French vessels in the waters between Crete, Rhodes and Cyprus, tying the threat directly to plans to resume work on the Great Sea Interconnector electricity cable. TRT Haber Savunma posted a message headed "Savaşsa savaş", meaning "If it's war, then war", alongside footage of Turkish military exercises. The post stated that the Turkish navy would be waiting for Greek and French ships and accused the Mitsotakis government of making a fresh attempt to challenge Turkish sovereignty in what Ankara calls the "Blue Homeland", its term for its self-claimed maritime jurisdiction in the eastern Mediterranean. According to the broadcaster, Athens issued a NAVTEX to advance the cable project as a fait accompli before Turkey could respond. Ankara countered with its own NAVTEX, and TRT Haber Savunma warned that warships would meet in the middle of the Crete-Rhodes-Cyprus triangle unless Greece backed down. The post closed by stating that the Turkish military's warnings did not yet appear to have been understood. The Great Sea Interconnector is a roughly 2 billion euro project designed to connect Cyprus and Greece through Crete, ending Cyprus's long-standing energy isolation and linking the island to the European electricity grid. Work was effectively frozen after Turkey obstructed bathymetric surveys near Kasos in July 2024. The project has since gained significant political backing. French investment group Meridiam acquired a 66 percent stake in the company responsible for it, and the leaders of Greece, Cyprus and France discussed next steps at the MED9 summit in Split earlier this week. Government sources in Athens said the project would move forward according to the contractor's schedule and that political will from Greece, Cyprus, France and the EU should be considered a given. TRT Haber Savunma's statements reflect Ankara's political framing and are not confirmation that a naval clash is planned. The broadcaster is, however, a state-run outlet, and its language signals the intensity of Turkey's opposition to the cable resuming. #Cyprus #GreatSeaInterconnector #...