Israel, Greece, Cyprus reaffirm commitment to joint energy projects

Amid chronic delays in the projects for offshore gas and the Great Sea Interconnector and Turkey’s warnings, the leaders of Israel, Greece and Cyprus said after a trilateral summit that they would safeguard their sea lanes and critical infrastructure against emerging threats.

Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister of Greece Kyriakos Mitsotakis and President of Cyprus Nikos Christodoulides agreed to reinforce trilateral cooperation on security, defense and military matters. In a declaration from their summit in Jerusalem, they reaffirmed the importance of the dialogue in a 3+1 format with the United States.

The joint statement came amid chronic delays in the projects for offshore gas and the Great Sea Interconnector. The latter, an undersea electricity link, is planned to run from the island of Crete in Greece to Cyprus and, from there, to Israel.

Turkey has been openly opposing such projects and even sending its navy to disturb research and exploration. Countering the Great Sea Interconnector, the government in Ankara is apparently planning to establish a power link with the northern Cypriot Turkish-dominated entity.

Netanyahu, Mitsotakis and Christodoulides particularly emphasized the importance of the Great Sea Interconnector project

“Today’s trilateral summit reaffirms our unwavering commitment to strengthen our cooperation, enhancing the security and resilience of our nations for generations to come… We reaffirm our determination to advance joint energy projects, including natural gas development, electricity interconnectors, and renewable energy initiatives, as a solid foundation for cooperation in the region, based on international law, including the law of the sea and the respect of all states to exercise their rights in their respective EEZ / continental shelf,” the document reads.

EEZ is exclusive economic zone, a maritime area in which a country claims exclusive rights. Netanyahu, Mitsotakis and Christodoulides particularly emphasized the importance of the Great Sea Interconnector project.

“We underscore the importance of maritime security and pledge to deepen collaboration in safeguarding sea lanes and critical infrastructure against emerging threats,” they said. The three leaders added they would collaborate regional interconnectivity projects within the so-called India – Middle East – Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC).