“We are not accountable to anyone”: This is Defense Minister Vasilis Palmas’s response to Turkish provocations in the Cypriot EEZ, following the start of marine surveys for the construction of the Cyprus-Greece power interconnection via the Great Sea Interconnector pipeline. Emphasizing that Nicosia and Athens have the right to exercise their sovereign rights, Mr. Palmas noted that “The GSI is a project of substantial and geopolitical value that we are determined to move forward with.”
“It is, if you will, a program—a project of European interest—in the sense that two European Union member states wish to move forward with this program, and at the same time, French companies—in collaboration with the Republic of Cyprus and the Hellenic Republic—will exercise the rights we derive, I repeat, from international law—on an issue that Europe, from time to time—usually during crises—struggles with regarding energy matters.”
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
Speaking on the sidelines of the “Nemesis” multinational exercise held today at the “Evangelos Florakis” Naval Base in Mari, the Minister of Defense expressed the government’s determination to move forward “to create the conditions necessary to complete the project by 2031, because we are talking about a long-term development project and, of course, with the funding and financial contribution of the European Union, which—if my memory serves me correctly— will subsidize this project with a sum of 630-something million euros.”
“I believe the atmosphere is positive; we should say little and do much toward the practical application and implementation of this project—and, of course, always with seriousness and responsibility, without raising our voices and without creating, through our positions and creates a hostile atmosphere surrounding these issues. I believe the planet has been through enough during this entire period—whether it be the war in Ukraine, the ongoing crisis with Iran, or the geopolitical instability and insecurity that is being created—we should not, through our words, add further issues that contribute to such a climate.
