By Bosphorus News Geopolitics Desk
Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis said on November 13, 2026, that Greece would not tolerate interference with the Great Sea Interconnector (GSI). The warning followed a radio exchange involving Turkish and Greek frigates and a French survey vessel south of Karpathos the previous day.
At the Slemani Strategic Forum in Sulaymaniyah, Iraq, Gerapetritis defended Greek permits for the survey and cable-laying work. He said the project was proceeding and described the planned electricity link through the Republic of Cyprus towards the Middle East as European energy infrastructure.
On November 12, the Turkish frigate TCG Gökova radioed the French-flagged Abeille Marengo to convey Türkiye's position that its consent was required. The Greek frigate Limnos responded, asserting Greece's authority over the work. Greek media said the vessel continued surveying and reported no physical attempt to stop it.
French Note, Conflicting Maritime Notices
France had already sent Ankara a diplomatic note concerning the operation. Athens says it was informational and did not seek Turkish permission. Turkish diplomatic sources have described Ankara's written reply as consent for work in areas Türkiye claims as part of its continental shelf. Neither document has been published.
The conflicting positions also appear in navigational warnings. Türkiye's November 10 NAVTEX 1127/26 described two survey lines as coordinated with and consented to by Turkish authorities. Greece issued a counter-notice rejecting the Turkish station's claimed authority, while the Republic of Cyprus published its own warning.
The earlier exchange of maritime notices set out the competing claims before the November 12 radio contact brought them directly to the survey vessel.
Greek Party Leaders to Be Briefed
The warning was not Gerapetritis' first. Greek accounts of his closed-door briefing to lawmakers on November 3 said he was prepared to respond if Türkiye obstructed the cable project. No public transcript of that discussion was available.
The Greek Foreign Ministry has scheduled a briefing for political party leaders on November 14. Greek reporting names GSI and the French diplomatic note among the expected subjects, although the ministry has not released a detailed agenda.
The surveys continued after the reported naval exchange, but the positions on consent remain opposed. Athens rejects any Turkish licensing role; Ankara records its approval of the survey lines. Without the French note and Turkish reply, there is no public basis for concluding that the governments agreed on an authorization procedure.
Sources: Hellenic Republic Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Business Daily Greece, Kathimerini, SKAI, Türkiye's Foreign Ministry, Bosphorus News review and reporting.