Home · World · Oct 3 archive
Billion-dollar power link connecting Israel to Europe hits roadblock in bitter regional feud
Developing
In Short: Kombos pointed to the Great Sea Interconnector, a planned subsea electricity cable connecting Israel to Cyprus and Cyprus to Greece, which would link the island to Europe’s power grid.
Cyprus Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos accused Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of obstructing a major subsea electricity cable linking Israel, Cyprus, and Europe during a speech at the United Nations General Assembly.
He warned that Ankara is trying to block the project due to illegal claims in the exclusive economic zone, calling Erdoğan’s rhetoric over Gaza 'hypocritical and provocative.'
Kombos emphasized that Turkey's actions are an ongoing violation of international law, describing them as an act of aggression and occupation.
He also noted that Turkey's threats and actions in the exclusive economic zone have been a significant concern for Cyprus and other regional countries.
Kombos highlighted the importance of regional balances, stating, 'We cannot just accept this as the usual day at the office. This is something that’s important.'
The minister stressed the need for Turkey to give the green light to the Turkish Cypriot leadership, adding that a two-state approach runs contrary to UN Security Council decisions.
Kombos also praised the U.S.-Cyprus relationship, saying it is at its highest level ever, with strategic dialogue, military cooperation, and joint exercises.
He noted that Cyprus’ location and close ties with Israel, Gulf states, Europe, and the U.S. give it an increasingly important regional role.
Kombos and Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides decided to stay in the room and hear Erdoğan’s speech, highlighting the diplomatic importance of the moment.
What's still developing
- "the most inhumane and shameful concentration camp of our time."
- "comprehensive and sustainable settlement."
- One important cause of this decline is Europe’s failure to participate in the digital revolution.
- The bloc has no global-scale companies in cloud computing, online advertising, mobile devices, or chip design, and it has only one competitor—France’s Mistral—remaining in the race to build the large language models powering the current AI surge.
- "The fact that we have someone challenging all the bases and all the norms of international law cannot be the answer to how we plan the future of our people," Kombos said.
- "And we are both, at the same time, thinking that this is hypocritical and provocative." Kombos said Erdoğan’s appeals to the U.N.
- "So it’s a very clear example of a distance between rhetoric and action, words and deeds."
Sources
- Fox Newslink