Turkish media reaction to French investment in Great Sea Interconnector

Following the agreement signed in Athens for the French investment group Meridiam to acquire a 66% stake in the Great Sea Interconnector (GSI), Turkish media outlets have reiterated Ankara’s opposition to the Greece-Cyprus electric cable project. While the Turkish government has not issued an official response, publications such as Hürriyet Daily News and Gazete Oksijen have characterized the project as controversial, citing claims that the cable route traverses areas subject to Turkish territorial disputes.

Ankara maintains its long-standing position that any subsea cable work in the region requires coordination with Turkey and that it should be responsible for issuing maritime notices (NAVTEX). The Turkish press is focusing heavily on the geopolitical implications of Meridiam's involvement, suggesting that Paris is strengthening its influence in the Eastern Mediterranean. Observers recall the July 2024 incident where Turkey deployed naval vessels to obstruct an Italian research vessel south of Kassos and Karpathos, an area Ankara claims under the 2019 Turkey-Libya maritime memorandum. The involvement of the French firm is perceived in Turkey as a development that could alter regional balances, though no official state action against the current investment phase has been announced.