Greece Loses Guilfoyle While Ankara Keeps Barrack
Turkey issued two counter-NAVTEX notices on Friday, challenging Greek and Cypriot authority over waters tied to the Crete-Cyprus undersea cable project, and the timing could not be more awkward for Athens.
The first Turkish objection targeted a Greek NAVTEX issued for the multinational EUNOMIA exercise, scheduled for October 19 south of Kastellorizo. The second challenged Cyprus's authority over geophysical surveys by the vessel S/V Kobi Ruegg, set to run from October 21 through November 2 for the East to Med Corridor telecommunications cable. Turkey invoked its Libya memorandum claims on the continental shelf and repeated that it does not recognize the Republic of Cyprus, a position Greece rejects as a violation of international maritime law.
"The Trump-Erdogan relationship [is] exceptionally close" and the Russian systems issue "would be resolved" — Barrack
The moves revive the Kassos crisis of summer 2024, when Turkish warships shadowed an Italian research vessel operating near Kassos and the standoff was only de-escalated without any Turkish concessions. French cable company Nexans has now applied for a permit to resume underwater surveys with the VB Abeille Marengo, meaning the same flashpoint is approaching again. Turkish newspaper Hurriyet even pointed at Paris directly on Thursday, writing that it is France's responsibility to prevent a new crisis by coordinating with Ankara before surveys resume.
What makes Turkey's latest moves especially significant is the diplomatic picture in Washington. Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited Athens on October 7 and declared American support for the interconnector, calling a Greek-Turkish military clash unthinkable and promising behind-the-scenes pressure to keep the project on track. But he left open what the US would actually do if Turkish warships showed up again.
That ambiguity matters because Athens is now losing one of its key Washington connections. US Ambassador Kimberly Guilfoyle is departing the Athens posting, removing a diplomat with direct personal access to Trump's inner circle. Meanwhile in Ankara, Ambassador Tom Barrack, a longtime Trump ally and personal friend, remains in place and continues to hold his parallel role as US Special Envoy for Syria. Barrack has openly pushed for restoring full US-Turkey defense cooperation, including resolving the S-400 dispute and returning Turkey to the F-35 program. As recently as last September, he called the Trump-Erdogan relationship exceptionally close and predicted the Russian systems issue would be resolved.
The contrast is stark. After their White House meeting in September 2025, Barrack had cited Guilfoyle's upcoming Athens posting as a channel for managing Greece-Turkey friction. That channel is now closing on the Greek side while staying wide open on the Turkish side.
