Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan says Ankara does not oppose the Great Sea Interconnector, but insists that vessels conducting maritime surveys provide Turkey with written notification and coordinates.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has said Turkey has no objection to the Great Sea Interconnector (GSI), the planned electricity link between Greece and Cyprus, while demanding written notification of maritime surveys to avoid what he described as an unwanted change to the status quo in the Aegean.
In an interview with Greek newspaper Ta Nea, Fidan said Ankara wanted ships conducting surveys at sea to provide formal written notice detailing their activities and the coordinates of the areas involved.
“We have no objections to the cable, but we ask that when a ship conducts surveys at sea, it sends us a written notification, not just a verbal one,” Fidan said during remarks at the European Policy Center (EPC).
He argued that the notification requirement was necessary to prevent the creation of new precedents in disputed maritime areas.
“We do not want the status quo to be disturbed, nor a precedent to be created in a completely wrong way, which will cause even greater problems for both sides,” he said.
“Under these conditions, we do not object. We are positive.”
Fidan Praises GSI but Promotes Alternative Energy Links
Discussing the GSI, Fidan said the project had been raised during discussions involving Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, French President Emmanuel Macron and Turkish officials.
He described the initiative as a significant project but also promoted the possibility of supplying energy to Cyprus from Turkey.
According to Fidan, Macron had argued that Cyprus could benefit from resources supplied from a much shorter distance rather than relying on an electricity connection extending approximately 2,000 kilometres and involving more than €2 billion in European funding.
Fidan said Turkey could potentially provide water, electricity and natural gas from a distance of approximately 70 miles from the Turkish mainland.
He suggested that such arrangements could benefit Greek Cypriots, Turkish Cypriots and the wider population of Cyprus.
The GSI is designed to connect the electricity grids of Greece and Cyprus, with the broader ambition of improving energy security and strengthening Cyprus’s links with the European electricity network.
However, the project has faced tensions surrounding maritime surveys and competing claims in the Eastern Mediterranean.
Fidan said Turkey’s position on the cable itself was not an objection to the project, but he maintained that Ankara wanted formal notification of survey operations.
Turkey Defends Its Casus Belli Declaration Against Greece
Fidan also addressed Turkey’s longstanding casus belli declaration against Greece, which was adopted by the Turkish Grand National Assembly in 1995 in response to the possibility of Greece extending its territorial waters in the Aegean from six to 12 nautical miles.
The declaration has been widely interpreted in Greece as a threat of war should Athens exercise that right.
Fidan rejected that interpretation.
“Many consider it a threat of war. That is the Greek version,” he said, arguing that Turkey had not formally characterised the declaration as a casus belli.
He maintained that the 1995 parliamentary declaration was not a law but a statement that the Turkish government should take the necessary measures to prevent Greece from extending its territorial waters without first resolving the dispute with Turkey.
Fidan said the declaration followed Greece’s acceptance of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which provides the legal framework under which coastal states may claim territorial waters extending up to 12 nautical miles.
He argued that Turkey’s position had helped preserve peace by maintaining the existing situation.
“This preventive declaration has contributed to maintaining peace until today,” Fidan said. “It does not constitute a threat of war.”
His remarks come amid the longstanding disagreement between Athens and Ankara over Greece’s right to extend its territorial waters in the Aegean, a right recognised under international maritime law but opposed by Turkey in the context of the dispute.
Greece maintains that it retains the right to exercise the 12-nautical-mile limit in accordance with international law.
Fidan also urged Greece to pursue negotiations with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, arguing that Erdoğan possessed the political authority needed to resolve bilateral disputes.
“I advise my Greek friends: while he is still there, take advantage of the moment and cooperate with him,” Fidan said.
Fidan Rules Out Blue Homeland Bill
The Turkish foreign minister also addressed reports concerning a possible legislative initiative linked to Turkey’s controversial Blue Homeland doctrine, which asserts Ankara’s maritime interests across surrounding seas.
Fidan denied that a bill on the doctrine was currently being prepared.
“There is no bill for Blue Homeland,” he said.
He added that the issue of the proposed marine park had not yet been brought forward for discussion.
The comments come as Greece and Turkey continue to navigate competing maritime claims, energy projects and broader efforts to maintain dialogue despite persistent disagreements in the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean.
Source: Ta Nea, as reported by SKAI.gr.
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