HALC reiterates support for Cyprus power link
The Hellenic American Leadership Council (HALC) called on Thursday for the expedited completion of the planned Cyprus-Greece (Crete) electricity interconnection, the Great Sea Interconnector (GSI), saying it represents “the great potential of the Eastern Mediterranean as a political, economic and energy region.”
HALC said the GSI makes Cyprus the epicenter of this region, and “any further delay risks isolating Cyprus” on the energy front, making the country the only EU member not connected to the European power grid.
In terms of geopolitics, Cyprus was a leader in regional integration – with regard to the Greece-Israel-Cyprus trilateral and the East Mediterranean Gas Forum. “The prospect of Greece, Israel and Egypt moving ahead without Cyprus is not a risk that should be incurred,” the Council said.
In terms of US-Cyprus relations, “the Energy Ministry in Nicosia seems intent to be an outlier,” as Republican and Democratic administrations and Congresses have supported deepening this relationship and energy diplomacy, and specifically the GSI.
By delaying the project, Cyprus risks the progress it has made as a destination for Western investment. “Certain ministers are neither serving Cyprus nor President Christodoulides well. This ‘Art of the Deal’ approach to major tectonic shifts in geopolitics and geoeconomics is diplomatically negligent,” HALC said.
It also said that the project is being presented to the Cypriot people in “a disingenuous” manner. “Trying to focus on very short term costs instead of how it transforms Cyprus’ economy, consumer prices and geopolitical standing in the medium and long term is wrong. This is especially so when there are reports that support the commercial viability of the GSI even in the short term.”
“And certain officials (who pine for a political comebacks) are irresponsible in trying to sell the nonsensical notion that the development of any energy resources in Cyprus is tied to solution of the Cyprus problem,” it added. “Time to move forward on the GSI (and the Aphrodite gas field) ASAP.”
