Pessimism is mounting in Greece over the ambitious Cyprus-Crete electrical interconnection project, with Greek politicians and media criticising the government’s apparent retreat in the face of Turkish threats.
The Greek government’s decision not to make any official announcement about the cable project following Wednesday’s highly anticipated National Security Council meeting has intensified criticism that it is backing down under Turkish pressure.
Pressure is building on both Greek and Cypriot governments to respond officially and forcefully by appealing to the European Union, demanding its public intervention to continue surveys in international waters for the cable laying.
Greek MEP Yannis Maniatis from the PASOK party called on Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’s government to take the Greece-Cyprus-Israel Great Sea Interconnector (GSI) project issue to the European Council and request European Commission intervention against Turkish provocations.
“We would face a deep defeat for Hellenism if this project doesn’t proceed,” Maniatis told the Greek newspaper Imerisia, suggesting the appointment of a European coordinator similar to those assigned to energy projects in Baltic countries.
“The prime minister must bring this issue to the European Council level. He needs to inform EU member state prime ministers that we are facing a blatant violation of the sovereign national rights of two member states, Greece and Cyprus, on a project of major importance for Europe’s energy security which is funded by European citizens,” the MEP said.
