1 week ago
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The ambitious program for an energy interconnection betwixt Greece and Cyprus has dealt a superior stroke to the estimation of the authorities of the Republic of Cyprus. Ambiguous and adjacent contradictory statements made by elder ministers and the president of the Republic of Cyprus person acceptable the stage for a script that would person been unthinkable a fewer months ago, while relations betwixt Athens and Nicosia are astatine an all-time debased and a superior diplomatic situation is unfolding.
Kathimerini presents the cardinal figures successful the Cypriot authorities who are progressive successful the project, arsenic well arsenic their stances so far. It besides explains why a program aimed astatine ending Cyprus’ vigor isolation has created so galore opponents connected the island. According to analysts and officials interviewed by Kathimerini, the main occupation is that the Cypriot authorities does not look to speak with 1 voice. President Nikos Christodoulides has failed to take a wide presumption and has backtracked connected what has been agreed.
The opponent
The project’s main hostile is Cyprus’ concern minister, Makis Keravnos. In his latest statements, helium attempted to dismantle the task wholly by questioning its viability. He presented two studies that helium had commissioned to support his position, ignoring the dozens of studies that had already been conducted to unafraid EU backing for the project.
The strongman of the Cypriot system is an experienced economist who has enjoyed a agelong vocation arsenic a elder enforcement successful ample companies some overseas and successful Cyprus. He served arsenic curate of labour and then curate of concern successful Tassos Papadopoulos’ authorities from 2003 to 2005. He subsequently resigned to take up the presumption of enforcement manager astatine the Hellenic Bank Group, a determination that was met with criticism.
He was appointed curate of concern successful 2023 by President Christodoulides, and successful caller months his sanction has been mentioned arsenic someone who could beryllium replaced successful a imaginable reshuffle. However, that would beryllium peculiarly challenging astatine this stage, fixed that Keravnos is spearheading the effort to finalize and submit the state budget. In Cyprus’ statesmanlike system, parliamentary support of the fund is not guaranteed, particularly astatine this clip when President Christodoulides was not elected with the backing of immoderate enactment and does not person a bulk successful the House of Representatives. Furthermore, Keravnos is spearheading a important tax betterment – the archetypal successful Cyprus for decades.
“Keravnos is successful the mediate of a bid of captious bills that indispensable walk done Parliament, including the yearly budget. The president needs his support due to the fact that helium is so influential, so I don’t think Christodoulides wants to accidental thing too harsh that would origin a large rift successful their relationship,” notes vigor adept Charles Ellinas.
The supporter
In contrast, the country’s vigor minister, George Papanastasiou, appears to disagree with Keravnos, having described the task arsenic “feasible” past week. He rejects the thought that helium and the curate of concern person antithetic positions connected the matter, stating that they simply grip it differently.
Papanastasiou is 1 of the technocrats appointed by the Christodoulides authorities and has decades of acquisition successful the vigor sector. He worked astatine BP for 26 years successful various managerial roles successful antithetic countries, and was CEO of VTT Vasiliko during the operation of the vigor storage and absorption terminal successful Vasiliko, to the west of Larnaca.
However, sources progressive successful the task successful Athens enactment that Papanastasiou had, successful fact, made galore ambiguous statements successful the past and expressed reservations astir allocating funds to Greece’s Independent Power Transmission Operator (ADMIE) earlier the task was completed – a stipulation intelligibly acceptable retired successful the signed intergovernmental agreement. These sources besides assertion that the full Cypriot authorities is really opposed to the project, and that the differing opinions are simply a diversionary connection tactic.
The ambiguous
President Christodoulides appears to beryllium trying to reconcile the differing views within his government. “Under mean circumstances, these kinds of discussions and disagreements wouldn’t hap publicly, but would beryllium kept within the cabinet. The president would step successful and marque the last decision,” says Ellinas. “In this case, however, everything is being done publicly, and the president seems unable to marque a last decision, alternatively making various wide statements without taking a wide position.”
The vigor interconnection task – successful its erstwhile signifier arsenic the EuroAsia Interconnector, headed by businessman Nasos Ktorides – had the strong support of the erstwhile Anastasiades government. However, successful 2023, EuroAsia declared its inability to wage the contractor institution Nexans the beforehand outgo stipulated successful the declaration for the start of cablegram construction. Despite having received portion of the assistance from the European Commission, EuroAsia did not person its ain funds and had not entered into immoderate indebtedness agreements.
In October 2023, pursuing a petition from the Cypriot government, ADMIE took implicit the task astatine a very debased terms – a distress merchantability – successful bid to forestall the task from failing and the nonaccomplishment of European funding. The task was then renamed the Great Sea Interconnector (GSI). Following this, the Cypriot authorities changed its stance dramatically, objecting to the project’s sustainability, refusing to wage a €25 cardinal installment and overturning the intergovernmental agreement.
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