France is stepping in to back the Greece-Cyprus electricity interconnection project, with President Emmanuel Macron pers...

France is stepping in to back the Greece-Cyprus electricity interconnection project, with President Emmanuel Macron personally signaling his country's readiness to launch seabed surveys in the Eastern Mediterranean. During their meeting in Paris last Wednesday, Macron told Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis that France supports the project and is prepared to begin the bathymetric research shortly, according to sources cited by Kathimerini tis Kyriakis. The French flag on the survey vessel is not a logistical detail. It carries significant diplomatic weight, because if Turkey attempts to interfere with the project, France would handle the response with Ankara directly from Paris, rather than leaving Greece or Cyprus to manage the confrontation alone. French firm Meridiam holds a majority stake in the consortium developing the project, giving Paris a direct financial and political stake in seeing it through. The French are reportedly favoring a formal announcement to notify all coastal states in the region before surveys begin, a move aimed at managing diplomatic exposure. Athens has already been briefed to ensure the planned approach does not conflict with any of Greece's core national positions. The start of the seabed research cannot be pinned down precisely, but sources familiar with the matter estimate work could begin between late September and early November this year. The Greece-Cyprus power interconnection would be one of the longest and deepest submarine electricity cables ever laid, physically linking the two countries through the seabed of the Eastern Mediterranean for the first time. #GreeceCyprus #EasternMediterranean #EnergyInterconnection