All eyes on France in the cable knot

Paris, which is the executor of the project, is expected to untie the knot between Ankara and Athens. It is considered that if Paris does not provide a written notification as requested by Ankara, tensions may escalate in the Eastern Mediterranean.

EXPECTATION NOT MEET

In its statement the previous evening, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs pointed out that "the consent process has not yet been completed" regarding the cable project, indicating that diplomatic contacts between Ankara and Paris are continuing to resolve the problem. However, the expressions used in the statement also revealed that France's initiatives have not yet satisfied Ankara.

According to the Greek media, the French research ship "Abeille Marengo" is expected to leave Crete's Heraklion port tomorrow and sail to the Eastern Mediterranean to begin research. It is stated that the ship will first operate in Greek territorial waters.

THERE IS A DANGER OF CRISIS

However, if France does not make the necessary written notification to Ankara within this period, the ship's start to operate in the region within the continental shelf borders that Turkey notified the United Nations on March 18, 2020, may trigger a crisis. In this case, it is on the agenda for Ankara to take steps to stop the work. Such a development could cause a repeat of the tension that confronted Turkish and Greek warships two years ago.

According to Kathimerini newspaper, Greece clearly conveyed to the French that the communication with Türkiye should not be a "request for permission". It was also claimed that France was disturbed by the debate growing in public. It was evaluated in the Greek press that the situation showed that Paris could not adequately understand the political dimension of the cable project for Athens and Ankara.

It is stated that the French research ship will leave Crete tomorrow and operate primarily in Greek territorial waters.