Foreign Policy
Athens prepares for resumption of GSI activity and potential Turkish reaction
The Great Sea Interconnector (GSI) is entering what may prove to be its most consequential phase so far.
GSI tensions and defence moves raise stakes in Greek–Turkish relations
Turkey’s renewed warnings towards Greece are increasingly being viewed in Athens not as isolated bursts of rhetoric, but as part of a broader shift in a relationship that in recent years has operated under a carefully managed - and always fragile - calm.
PM pursues strategy of deterrence and dialogue on Kastellorizo and Cairo visits
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’s unusually long visit to Kastellorizo last weekend was intended to send a message extending well beyond Greece’s easternmost inhabited island.
PM seeks balance between dialogue and deterrence as ties with Turkey falter
Athens is seeking to respond to the latest escalation with Turkey on two levels: by keeping communication channels open to prevent tensions from turning into a crisis, while at the same time making its red lines on sovereignty and sovereign rights explicitly — and increasingly — clear in writing.
Greece facing period of renewed tension with Turkey in Aegean
The latest escalation in Greek–Turkish relations is being assessed in Athens with growing concern — not because officials believe a confrontation is necessarily imminent, but because Ankara is gradually reintroducing almost all the issues that had been kept at relatively low intensity since the February 2023 earthquakes and the subsequent Athens Declaration.
Seabed surveys for GSI set to pose next test in Greek–Turkish relations
The planned resumption of seabed surveys for the Great Sea Interconnector (GSI) is rapidly emerging as the next major test in Greek–Turkish relations, as Athens prepares to restart work on the electricity link between Greece and Cyprus while rejecting Ankara’s assertion that activities in parts of the Eastern Mediterranean require prior coordination with Turkey.
Turkey’s Mecca pact adds complexity for Athens as marine parks stir familiar concerns
For Athens, two recent developments - Turkey’s formal establishment of two marine parks and its participation in the new Mecca Joint Defence Agreement with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan - belong to different diplomatic theatres but appear to form part of the same strategic picture.
Cyprus faces critical August test as UN pushes for diplomatic results in peace talks
August is traditionally considered a quiet month for diplomacy in Europe. In Cyprus, however, the coming weeks could determine whether the renewed international mobilisation around the island develops into the first serious attempt in years to restart negotiations — or ends as yet another diplomatic exercise without substantive results.
Athens bets on French backing to break GSI deadlock with Turkey
The agreement signed on Wednesday in Athens, allowing French infrastructure investment group Meridiam to acquire a 66 pct majority stake in the Great Sea Interconnector (GSI), is far more than a corporate transaction. It represents a fundamental geopolitical recalibration of one of the European Union’s most strategically important energy projects.
Greece measured on Turkey’s F‑35 hopes as it highlights enduring security concerns at NATO summit
From Greece’s perspective, the NATO Summit in Ankara that concluded on Wednesday delivered a mixed but strategically important outcome.