Statement by Nikos Androulakis, president of PASOK-Movement for Change, after his meeting with the foreign minister, Mr Gerapetritis:
The electricity interconnector project linking Greece, Cyprus and the Middle East is of particular geopolitical and energy significance for our country and the European Union.
The project was conceived and designed by the PASOK government as early as 2011.
The survey work and laying of the cable, which has already been recognised as being of common European interest and is funded by the EU, must proceed exclusively within the framework of international law of the sea and the European acquis.
There is no provision in international law for a third country to notify Turkey, and doing so risks setting a negative political precedent.
What will happen from now on with similar projects or marine scientific surveys in the Aegean and the eastern Mediterranean?
The government and the European Union must guarantee the project’s completion with full respect for the sovereign rights of Greece and Cyprus. The only safe course is to act in accordance with international law.