Turkey: We Won’t Allow Greece-Cyprus Cable Without Our Approval

Read the full article here.

Turkey's Defense Ministry escalates its provocative rhetoric over the power interconnection and also takes aim at the military parade in Cyprus

Turkey is once again demanding that its approval come first for work on the Greece-Cyprus electricity interconnection, keeping the dispute over the project alive.

In its October 1 briefing, the Turkish Defense Ministry said it will not allow unlicensed activities in areas it considers part of the Turkish continental shelf.

It cited its maritime delimitation agreements with Libya and the pseudo-state, as well as the boundaries it submitted to the UN in 2020.

More specifically, in its statement, the Turkish Defense Ministry claims that the project involves “research activity within the Turkish continental shelf” and makes clear that it will not allow it to go ahead without prior coordination with and approval from Ankara.

Greece’s position, however, has already been stated publicly: informing others about the work does not mean recognizing any Turkish authority to issue permits. Speaking to SKAI on September 29, Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis stressed that the relevant request will be submitted to the Greek government. “Permission, however, will be granted only by Greece,” he said, explaining that a NAVTEX serves to inform neighboring states and seafarers for the safety of navigation.

Source: Wikipedia