Erdogan placed an obstacle - Greece and France found a solution for the giant project

Greece and France are considering a change in the route of the underwater power cable between Crete and Cyprus, in order to bypass a maritime zone that Turkey has declared a national park, without recognizing Ankara's territorial claims. The move is intended to allow the resumption of work on the strategic project, which reached a dead end due to Turkish opposition. The French are entering the picture with the acquisition of 66% of the project company by Meridiam.

Greece and France are considering a change in the route of the underwater power cable between Crete and Cyprus, aiming to bypass a maritime zone that Turkey has declared a national park, without recognizing Ankara's territorial claims. According to a report in the Greek newspaper Kathimerini, the move is intended to allow the resumption of work on the strategic electricity interconnection project, which reached a dead end due to Turkish opposition. In Greece, they emphasize that the route change will not constitute recognition of Turkish authority in the area, but is intended to reduce the risk that Ankara will try to completely ban activity there. The move comes after the French investment group Meridiam acquired 66% of Great Sea Interconnector, the company responsible for building the connection, in August. The French company Nexans will lay the cable, and a vessel flying the French flag is expected to complete the remaining seabed surveys. About 60% of the surveys have been completed so far. The remaining work includes sensitive areas east of the islands of Kasos and Karpathos, where Turkish warships intervened in July 2024 and disrupted the work of an Italian research vessel. The incident led to a freeze on work and sparked a crisis in Greek-Turkish relations. Meanwhile, Athens is considering expanding its territorial waters to 12 nautical miles south and west of Crete. Cyprus expresses reservations and questions the economic benefit of the project given the geopolitical risks.