10.11.2026 17:50
It has been claimed that diplomatic contacts between Turkey and France have intensified regarding the Great Sea Interconnector (GSI) project, which envisages an undersea electricity connection planned to be established between Greece and the Greek Cypriot Administration of Southern Cyprus (GKRY). According to a report by the Greek newspaper Kathimerini, after the diplomatic note sent to Turkey by the French company carrying out the project was not deemed sufficient by Ankara, talks between the two countries accelerated.
The Greece-based Kathimerini newspaper reported that diplomatic contacts between Turkey and France have intensified due to the Great Sea Interconnector (GSI) project, which envisages establishing an undersea electricity connection between Greece and the Greek Cypriot Administration. According to the report, a diplomatic dispute occurred after Greece issued a NAVTEX (notice to mariners) on Friday for the resumption of seabed research activities.
TURKEY MAY REQUEST A SECOND NOTIFICATION FROM THE FRENCH COMPANY
It was claimed that the diplomatic notification sent by the French company carrying out the project to Greece, the Greek Cypriot Administration, Egypt and Turkey was not deemed sufficient by Ankara. It was stated that Turkey found the content of the notification unclear and may ask the French company to request direct permission or to send a second notification that takes into account Turkey’s positions in the Eastern Mediterranean.
The report stated that Turkey expects particular consideration to be given to the views it set out in the maritime jurisdiction areas memorandum it signed with Libya in 2019 and in the letter it submitted to the United Nations (UN) in 2020.
GREEK GOVERNMENT SPOKESPERSON: “PERMISSION IS ONE THING, INFORMATION IS ANOTHER”
Greek Government Spokesperson Pavlos Marinakis rejected the opposition’s criticism that the notification sent by the French company to Turkey meant obtaining permission from Ankara. Saying “Permission is one thing, information is another,” Marinakis argued that the notification sent by the French company to Turkey was intended solely to ensure navigational safety. Stating that the notification did not mean recognition of third countries’ maritime jurisdiction areas or rights, Marinakis said, “Greece is not backing down.”
Marinakis claimed that within the scope of the project, the necessary permits were obtained only from Greek and Greek Cypriot Administration authorities, and no coordination was carried out with Turkey. Responding also to the opposition’s demands that the diplomatic notification be shared with the public, Marinakis said the document would not be published, citing diplomatic procedures.
RESEARCH VESSEL WAITING IN CRETE
According to Kathimerini, the Abeille Marengo vessel, which will carry out research activities within the scope of the undersea electricity cable project, continues to wait at the Port of Heraklion on the island of Crete. While it was raised that the vessel would make a trial voyage for the calibration of its equipment, it was stated that the voyage was postponed to determine a more suitable time.
It was noted that under the existing NAVTEX, the vessel could set sail at any time, but the decision on this matter would be made by the company carrying out the project.
CLAIM THAT THE COP31 SUMMIT AFFECTED DIPLOMATIC CONTACTS
The report alleged that Turkey’s hosting of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP31) in Antalya was also influential in the timing of diplomatic contacts. It was claimed that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan did not want the summit, where leader-level meetings will be held on Wednesday and Thursday, to remain under the shadow of a new dispute in the Eastern Mediterranean. For this reason, it was stated that the start of the Abeille Marengo vessel’s research activities could be postponed for a while longer.
ATHENS: THE PROJECT IS CONTINUING, THIS IS NOT A RACE
Greek Government Spokesperson Marinakis did not give a specific date to the question of when the Ministry of Foreign Affairs would inform other political parties about the developments. Stating that the project was continuing, Marinakis said that the process was “not a race.”
Greek government officials speaking to Kathimerini, on the other hand, stated that they thought Turkey would not obstruct the research activities, and claimed that no pressure had been applied to Athens by the United States or a third country.