Nikolas Farantouris, a PASOK MEP and professor of European law, expressed serious concern over reports in recent hours of diplomatic contacts between France and Turkey concerning the Greece-Cyprus electricity interconnector, speaking on ERTnews programme “10 minutes, with emphasis”.
He said it was not known exactly what had been discussed during two contacts between the French ambassador to Turkey and the Turkish government, while the Turkish side had made no official statement.
“As we speak, there is diplomatic manoeuvring behind the scenes,” Nikolas Farantouris said, adding that there were reports that France was seeking, or had delivered, a note verbale to Turkey. He also called on Greece’s Foreign Ministry to respond and clarify the situation.
Diplomatic manoeuvring behind the scenes
“I would not want us to wake up on Monday to developments involving secret diplomacy,” Nikolas Farantouris said, warning that such a development would set a negative diplomatic and legal precedent because it would amount to a veiled request for permission at a higher diplomatic level.
The PASOK MEP argued that Greece must press ahead unwaveringly with the project, which has received €700 million in funding from the European Union.
He noted that the interconnector does not require the delimitation of maritime zones and said that, in his view, it should have been completed by July 2024.
“We have all the cards, all the safeguards and all the weapons in our arsenal to move forward,” Nikolas Farantouris said, citing responses from the European Commission to written questions submitted by him and other PASOK MEPs.
He also pointed to contradictory messages from Athens in recent days and called for consistency in exercising the country’s sovereign rights.
On Greek-Turkish relations, the MEP said Greece did not want an escalation and sought good neighbourly relations, while safeguarding its national sovereignty and pursuing projects that strengthen the energy autonomy of Greece and Cyprus.