An escalating dispute over the multi-billion-euro Great Sea Interconnector (GSI) has seen a diplomatic exchange between Cyprus and Greece, even as Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides insisted that bilateral ties remain “stronger than ever.”
Tensions erupted following a report that Greece’s Independent Power Transmission Operator (ADMIE), the project’s implementing body, filed a formal objection with the Cypriot regulator (RAEK).
The objection reportedly challenged a decision to approve an expense recovery of €82 million (including a €25 million payment for 2025), with ADMIE allegedly seeking to recover a higher total of €251 million in costs incurred to date. President Christodoulides sharply criticized the move, warning that the Cypriot government “will not be blackmailed” by any head of ADMIE.
However, speaking later on Monday, he sought to cool political tensions, stating that those “who bet on a rupture of relations” between Athens and Nicosia would be disappointed, declining further comment on his meeting with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
Greek Energy Minister Stavros Papastavrou publicly stated the GSI project would only move forward once “concerns in Nicosia over its viability” are formally addressed, noting that the project is “stuck in a constant questioning” by the Cypriot side.
Papastavrou stressed that Greece “does not engage in blackmail” and operates through institutional channels, while ADMIE itself issued a statement denying the more inflammatory claims in the Cypriot press. Meanwhile, PM Mitsotakis called an emergency meeting with energy officials and ADMIE representatives to discuss the crisis.
Related: Great Sea Interconnector Causes Rift Between Greece and Cyprus
See all the latest news from Greece and the world at Greekreporter.com. Contact our newsroom to report an update or send your story, photos and videos. Follow GR on Google News and subscribe here to our daily email!
