Libya's vote puts the Crete–Cyprus cable at fresh risk of delay

Türkiye Today, relaying a Ta Nea report on 24 October, says France proposed postponing the Great Sea Interconnector (GSI) that would link Greece to Cyprus; Athens refused to change the timetable. The trigger was the unanimous ratification of the 2019 memorandum by Libya's House of Representatives on 20 October. No official French statement on a postponement could be confirmed as of 26 October. Daily Sabah reports that Türkiye has meanwhile issued a NAVTEX, a navigational warning to mariners, valid until the end of December for a roughly 101-kilometre gas pipeline from Mersin to Kyrenia.

A Greek City Times report of 24 October shows the project already slipping. On 20 October the chairman of the Cyprus Energy Regulatory Authority moved the completion target from January 2030 to January 2031 and said the 1.9 billion euro budget would be exceeded. Nexans, the cable manufacturer, has said production may not restart before 2028. Only 280 kilometres of the roughly 900-kilometre Crete–Cyprus route have been laid. The survey vessel Abeille Marengo reaches Heraklion on 27 October and will wait for the Greek NAVTEX expected in early November.

Greek City Times quotes Foreign Minister Fidan as saying that Ankara would not object to the surveys if it receives written notification setting out the coordinates. Anadolu Agency reports that after the cabinet meeting of 26 October, Erdoğan called on those seeking to exclude Türkiye from the Eastern Mediterranean to respect the joint will of the two countries. He said Türkiye cares only about defending its rights in its maritime jurisdiction areas, and asked the EU for dialogue.