A fresh political rift has opened within the governing camp over the Great Sea Interconnector (GSI), after DIKO President Nikolas Papadopoulos issued a sharp comeback targeting what he described as contradictions and hesitation by the "Christodoulides government"—despite DIKO being the largest party supporting it.

Papadopoulos’ intervention came just hours after Finance Minister Makis Keravnos reiterated that he is fully aligned with the government’s official line on the Cyprus–Greece electricity interconnection, insisting that there is unity of purpose and no deviation from decisions taken at leadership level in Nicosia and Athens.

Speaking on Monday after meetings with the Governor of the Central Bank of Cyprus, Keravnos stressed that his position mirrors that of President Nikos Christodoulides, who has publicly endorsed the strategic objective of the GSI, while also supporting the update of certain economic and technical parameters of the project.

According to the Finance Minister, significant time has passed since the original approvals, while geopolitical, economic and technical conditions have evolved, making an updated assessment both reasonable and necessary.

Keravnos also confirmed that the €25 million payment to the project’s implementing body, ADMIE, is included in the state budget, clarifying that disbursement will take place once the stipulated conditions are met.

Addressing criticism that the project had previously been described as non-viable, Keravnos said that viability can only be judged through studies, noting that the GSI is a complex, multi-billion-euro project involving geopolitical factors, third countries and potential investors.

In a strongly worded statement issued minutes ago, Nikolas Papadopoulos struck an openly oppositional tone, referring repeatedly to the “Christodoulides government” in the third person, a move that has raised eyebrows given DIKO’s role in the governing coalition.

Papadopoulos welcomed the prospect of strategic energy cooperation between Greece, Israel and Cyprus, but warned that such cooperation cannot advance without the GSI.

“This is why we must express our concern over yesterday’s statements by the Finance Minister,” Papadopoulos said, pointing to Keravnos’ call for an update of the project’s study because “geopolitical data have changed”.

“Until yesterday, the Finance Minister was telling us the project is not viable. Now he tells us that geopolitical data have changed,” Papadopoulos said. “What geopolitical data have changed? What exactly has changed?”

Papadopoulos reaffirmed DIKO’s long-standing position that the GSI must go ahead regardless of Turkey’s reaction, linking the project to broader EU dynamics.

He argued that Turkey’s interest in joining the SAFE programme, its demands for concessions from the EU, and the EU’s financial support for GSI, create a strategic opportunity that should not be missed.

“The Christodoulides government must abandon contradictions and hesitation and proceed with the project without delay,” Papadopoulos said.

He concluded by stressing that Cypriot consumers deserve cheaper electricity and that Cyprus has the right to end its energy isolation, repeating emphatically: “The GSI must be implemented.”