Greece and Turkey are clashing over who controls the seabed in the eastern Mediterranean, and the fight is now tied to a...

Greece and Turkey are clashing over who controls the seabed in the eastern Mediterranean, and the fight is now tied to a major energy project that connects Greece, Cyprus, and Israel to the European power grid. The Great Sea Interconnector, or GSI, is an undersea electricity cable whose planned route passes through waters where Greece and Turkey have sharply conflicting maritime claims. Athens says it is only required to notify Turkey of the cable-laying activity. Ankara is demanding something closer to prior approval, using the word "mutabakat," meaning consensus, and insisting the communication be made in writing. Greek Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis has been clear on Athens' position: informing another country about maritime operations does not grant that country any licensing authority. The NAVTEX, a standard maritime safety notice, is being treated by Greece as exactly that, a routine notification, not a request for Turkish sign-off. The dispute cuts to a deeper legal divide. Greece, Cyprus, and Egypt are bound by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Turkey has never signed or ratified UNCLOS and disputes how it applies to Greek islands, arguing that even large islands like Crete should not generate full maritime zones. The 2019 Turkey-Libya maritime memorandum, which Greece, Cyprus, Egypt, and the EU all reject, is part of the same pattern. Italy and Tunisia have recently challenged related Libyan maritime claims, further weakening Ankara's regional position. Layered on top of the GSI row is Turkey's "Blue Homeland," or "Mavi Vatan," doctrine. Turkish lawmakers are reportedly moving to give elements of that doctrine a domestic legal framework, which Athens sees as an attempt to codify disputed maritime claims into Turkish law and create new precedents in contested waters. French investment group Meridiam now holds a majority stake in the GSI project company, and France has stepped up its involvement in the cable's next phase. Remaining seabed surveys are expected to cover areas east of the Greek island of Kasos and off western Cyprus, with the full route needing to be finalized before the end of 2026. #Greece #Turkey #GreatS...