Turkey is demanding diplomatic notification before survey work resumes on the Great Sea Interconnector, the undersea pow...

Turkey is demanding diplomatic notification before survey work resumes on the Great Sea Interconnector, the undersea power cable planned to link Greece, Cyprus, and eventually Israel. According to Hurriyet, Ankara insists that any country whose vessels operate in sea zones Turkey claims as its own must contact Turkish authorities through diplomatic channels before work begins. Turkish diplomatic sources are careful to frame this as coordination, not obstruction. Ankara says it does not oppose undersea cable projects in principle and is not trying to block international connectivity infrastructure. The demand, they argue, is consistent with international law and standard state practice. The catch is what counts as sufficient. Greece and France have reportedly agreed to send a notification memo to coastal states in the region, including Turkey, outlining where the survey vessel will operate and for how long. Critically, that memo is framed as a notice of work beginning, not a request for permission. Whether Ankara accepts that distinction or pushes for something closer to prior approval is now the key question hanging over the project. France's role in the GSI has grown significantly. A French-flagged research vessel is expected to begin surveys in October, and French investment firm Meridiam has taken a majority stake in the company set to develop the project. Earlier this month, Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Emmanuel Macron discussed the cable's progress at the Elysee Palace as part of broader talks on energy and the Middle East. The GSI is designed first to end Cyprus's energy isolation, then to extend the grid connection toward Israel, making it one of the most strategically significant infrastructure projects in the Eastern Mediterranean. #GreatSeaInterconnector #GreeceEnergy #EasternMediterranean