The State Department is not taking a firm stance against Turkey, which is considered the sole obstacle to the undersea interconnection cable linking Greece, Cyprus, and Israel — as made clear by a spokesperson’s response to a question from the Athens-Macedonian News Agency (ANA-MPA) regarding the GSI. The issue has come to the fore following a bipartisan letter to the US Congress, in which a Democratic and a Republican lawmaker called on officials dealing with Eastern Mediterranean affairs to make the cable a top priority. However, the State Department spokesperson responded as follows: “The United States supports energy security and cooperation in the Eastern Mediterranean, including through the Eastern Mediterranean Energy Center. The Trump administration remains committed to advancing key energy partnerships that strengthen global energy security and promote a more secure and prosperous future, with energy sufficiency for the United States and its partners.”
GSI: A letter addressed to Rubio
The statement follows a bipartisan letter from members of Congress addressed to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the head of the US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), urging the Trump administration to prioritize the Greece-Cyprus-Israel power interconnection cable. The American lawmakers link the project to the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) and to the United States’ strategic interests in the region.
The State Department spokesperson’s statement follows the agreement signed on August 5, under which French investment group Meridiam entered as the majority shareholder in the company established to develop and finance the project.
