Progress elusive in talks on Crete-Cyprus power link

The crucial meeting on the progress of the electricity interconnection between Crete and Cyprus, which started in Nicosia on Tuesday afternoon and was adjourned after five hours, was concluded without any white smoke, to continue in the following days. The reluctance to speak on both sides (Greece and Cyprus), however, regarding the content of the consultations that took place in the heavy climate that had been shaped by statements in Athens and Nicosia in previous days, is indicative of the critical point at which the negotiations are.

The extension of uncertainty over the future of the long-suffering electricity interconnector is the only certainty to emerge from Tuesday’s meeting, as the issues at stake remain under negotiation, with the parties involved cautious about the final outcome, moving on a single line of communication. 

The president of the Republic of Cyprus, Nikos Christodoulides, who presided over the meeting that continued without his presence, as he left due to commitments, spoke first about a “constructive discussion regarding the project.”

Greek Energy Minister Thodoros Skylakakis said “the work continues,” adding that negotiations will continue on both a technical and political level.