Greece expects to issue a Navtex notice by Monday, clearing the way for a French-flagged vessel to resume seabed surveys for the Greece-Cyprus electricity interconnector, the Great Sea Interconnector (GSI).

Technical discussions have been completed, leaving the navigation warning as the main outstanding step. The Abeille Marengo is expected to begin operations over the weekend, initially within territorial waters.

Turkey is expected to react but is not anticipated to obstruct the work, partly because it will host the COP31 climate summit in Antalya from November 9-20. Greece’s Foreign Ministry has extended the French authorization to cover all of 2027.

A further recommendation from the committee responsible for marine research permits remains pending, although approval is expected. Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis is expected to authorize the measure before the Navy’s Hydrographic Service issues the Navtex.

A key question is how France will notify Ankara. French Ambassador to Turkey Isabelle Dumont met Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Mehmet Kemal Bozay on Thursday. The interconnector, which has been delayed for nearly a decade, was derailed in 2024.

Source: Ekathimerini.com