To advance the project, “all reservations about its viability must end, and every technical and financial issue must be resolved,” emphasized Minister of Environment and Energy Stavros Papastavrou on Monday morning in a televised interview, referring to the Great Sea Interconnector, the electricity interconnection between Greece and Cyprus.

>>GSI: Government Softens Tone After Sharp Remarks on ADMIE<<

The Minister described the cable as a “project of strategic importance” that will end Cyprus’s energy isolation and help reduce high electricity prices on the island. He highlighted that the European Union has already invested €657 million, ranking it among the eight most significant energy infrastructure projects in Europe.

At the same time, he made pointed remarks toward the Cypriot side, noting that doubts expressed by Cyprus’s Minister of Finance create obstacles for a project that has already been approved and funded. “A tripartite agreement signed by Greece, Cyprus, and the European Union cannot be questioned retroactively,” he stated firmly.

Responding to accusations of “blackmail” by the Independent Power Transmission Operator (ADMIE)—as suggested by Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides the previous day—Papastavrou was categorical: “Fifty-one percent of ADMIE belongs to the Greek State. Greece does not blackmail; it speaks only institutionally.”

In closing, he reassured that Greece–Cyprus relations remain “unbreakable and above any individual project,” expressing confidence that with shared determination and political will, “the project will move forward.”