The government has taken all the steps required of Cyprus for undersea surveys for the Great Sea Interconnector (GSI) to begin, President Nikos Christodoulides said in Nicosia on Monday, adding that a payment of 25 million euros to Greek grid operator IPTO was going ahead as planned.
Asked about possible developments concerning a NAVTEX, Christodoulides declined to give details. “The less we say publicly, the better,” he said, adding that this was also the informal understanding with the Greek prime minister and the French president.
On the timing of the 25 million euros, he repeated that the process was following the plan and that the government was honouring the agreements reached. The necessary handling was continuing away from the public eye, he said.
Asked separately about the Turkish Cypriot side’s reaction to Cyprus’s démarche to the EU over a planned natural gas pipeline between Turkey and the occupied north, Christodoulides said he saw no reason for annoyance. Cyprus had done the right thing, he said, describing the planned move as illegal. He added that the European Union had already taken a position and taken specific action towards the Turkish side.
Christodoulides was speaking on his arrival at the annual general meeting of the Association of Large Developments.
