Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has welcomed an agreement for French investment group Meridiam to become the majority shareholder in the company behind the Great Sea Interconnector, saying the deal will give the Cyprus-Greece electricity interconnection greater financial and technical strength.
In a social media post on Sunday, 23 August, Mitsotakis said French cable manufacturer Nexans would undertake the challenging task of manufacturing and laying the cable, describing the agreement as “a strong vote of confidence” in Greece’s energy infrastructure.
He said the project would finally end Cyprus’ energy isolation by connecting the island to the Greek electricity grid. At the same time, it would strengthen Greece’s position as a key energy hub in the region and pave the way for greater use of clean energy from renewable sources.
The Greek Prime Minister also referred to Turkey’s reaction to Greece’s Special Spatial Planning Framework for Renewable Energy Sources and what he described as the revival of “unfounded claims concerning grey zones.”
“Our position is clear and remains unchanged: Greece acts in accordance with international law, exercises its rights and will not allow threats or unlawful claims to determine its decisions,” he said.
Mitsotakis added that Greece consistently seeks dialogue and good-neighbourly relations with Turkey, stressing, however, that “dialogue does not mean making concessions.”
“Nor does it mean that we will stop doing what we consider right and necessary for our country,” he added.
(Source: CNA)
