The departure of the French survey vessel Abeille Marengo from Crete, bound for Karpathos and Cyprus’ exclusive economic zone, signals a forceful resumption of work on the electricity interconnector between Greece and Cyprus. Counter-NAVTEX notices issued by Athens and Nicosia nullified Turkey’s illegal NAVTEX, through which Ankara sought to present itself as the authority responsible for licensing the project.
Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis is expected to brief party leaders on the latest developments and the Greek government’s handling of the situation at a briefing scheduled for Saturday.
At sea, the French survey vessel is now south of Kasos, following the coordinates set out in the Greek and Cypriot NAVTEX notices.
Equipment calibration work
Under the project plan, the vessel will first calibrate its equipment before proceeding with the surveys. Its movements are in line with the notices to mariners (NAVTEX) issued by the competent Greek and Cypriot authorities.
Despite Turkey’s objections, the survey programme is proceeding as planned, with Athens monitoring developments at sea closely while keeping diplomatic channels open.
Looking ahead to the next stage of the project, Nikos Meletis, diplomatic correspondent for ERTnews, said “by Thursday afternoon, the vessel will reach the area in question, where the credibility of the understanding reached will be put to the test. So far, though, everything appears to be going smoothly and proceeding without hindrance. The possibility of some move by Turkey cannot be ruled out, more as a signal of its presence or a show of the flag, but I do not think it will dare, given the current climate, to take any more forceful action”.