Energy Minister George Papanastasiou, Greece’s Environment and Energy Minister Stavros Papastavrou will today be having a teleconference with European Commissioner for Energy, Dan Jørgensen, with the exclusive topic of discussion being the Great Sea Interconnector (GSI) Cyprus-Greece electricity interconnection.
As the Minister of Energy announced, after his meeting with his Greek counterpart in Athens, that during the video conference the two Ministers will inform the European Commissioner about the latest developments surrounding the project, as well as the various difficulties that arise and hinder its implementation.
"I believe that the Commissioner who called the meeting will want to know precisely the issues that are causing all the trouble, which I am sure the European Commission is monitoring," he said.
Regarding the geopolitical dimension of the project, Papanastasiou said that "management is needed, which must be done by bodies such as the implementing body itself, such as the European Union, the European Commission."
"I believe that the European Commission has a role here as the project is European and any further discussion or comment on this issue is superfluous," he pointed out.
What was agreed on in Greece
It is noted that today's teleconference is taking place one week after the meeting of the two Ministers in Athens, which - as announced - had taken place in a very good and constructive atmosphere, with Papanastasiou and Papastavrou even agreeing on the next steps for the development of the project.
More specifically, among other things, they had agreed to continue technical and institutional consultations in the near future, with the aim of immediately promoting the procedures required for the start of the next phases of the project.
At the same time, they had decided and agreed to avoid any statements from either Cyprus or Greece regarding the project, an agreement - however - that neither side appeared to stick to.
The confrontation
First Minister of Finance Makis Keravnos responded in a strong tone to statements by the Greek Minister of Energy that had preceded his meeting with the Cypriot Minister of Energy, Papanastasiou.
More specefically, Keravnos, during the presentation of the 2026 state budget in Parliament and responding to the leader of DIKO, Nicholas Papadopoulos, who expressed his surprise at the fact that the electrical interconnection is still being questioned, the Minister of Finance stated that "I am not against any project that can bring benefits to the Cypriot economy."
"One person cannot create a problem for the Government," he said, adding that as Minister of Finance he is ready to ease the situation. However, he added that he has a duty to examine the economic data and express his opinion.
Keravnos referred to "fake news" from a Minister of another Government, that he is keeping viability studies for the project secret. As he clarified, the studies were commissioned by the Minister of Energy, were properly delivered to the Ministry and were even sent to the previous Minister of Energy of Greece.
"We all know the studies and their findings," he noted, adding that some people's concerns are reasonable and that he himself has many concerns.
The aforementioned statements were initially commented on by sources from the Ministry of Environment and Energy of Greece, stating, among other things, that "the Greek side is working methodically to resolve the multifaceted technical-economic and institutional issues of a project that already presents challenges in its implementation and does not need to be further burdened with setbacks."
The above statement was followed by public statements by the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Energy of Greece, Giorgos Gerapetritis and Stavros Papastavrou, who called on the Republic of Cyprus to clarify its position.
Specifically, the Greek Minister of Foreign Affairs stressed that "Cyprus must clarify its position regarding the sustainability of the electricity interconnection project", while the Greek Minister of Energy, after speaking about different approaches in Cyprus to the project, indicated that "ambiguous messages and conflicting messages are a brake on the implementation of the project".
Regarding the two studies for the project, which the Minister of Finance refers to, Papastavrou spoke about the intervention by Papadopoulos, who - as he said - confirmed that "the studies to which Mr. Keravnos referred do not have to do with the viability of the project , but with legal aspects regarding the manner of participation of the Republic of Cyprus. In essence, he corrected the Cypriot Minister of Finance", he emphasised.
At the same time, the Greek Minister of Environment stressed that "the Republic of Cyprus as a whole must clarify its position on the project", while regarding Greece's position, he indicated that "actions prove what we want. Greece has already spent €300 million on the project".
Political parties also involved
However, the ongoing confrontation between Ministers of Greece and Cyprus on the issue of electrical interconnection is also triggering reactions within the ranks of the parties.
On the one hand, DISY and AKEL are calling on the Government to clarify its position, asking the President of the Republic to convene a meeting to inform the parties, while on the other hand, DIKO is essentially turning against the Minister of Finance, indicating that the concerns being voiced regarding the sustainability of the project must stop.
(Source: InBusinessNews)
