EU Rejects Turkey’s Bid to Block Greek Island Cable Project
The European Commission has formally rejected Turkey's attempts to interfere with an EU-funded undersea cable project in the Aegean, stating that the infrastructure operates in full compliance with international law under UNCLOS.
The incident that prompted the response involved a Turkish naval frigate ordering the cable-laying vessel "Ocean Connector" to halt operations and leave the area while it was laying fiber optic cable between the Greek islands of Amorgos and Astypalaia. The project is part of the SEA-SPINE initiative, a high-speed submarine fiber optic backbone for Aegean islands, funded through the EU's Connecting Europe Facility.
A Turkish naval frigate ordered the cable-laying vessel "Ocean Connector" to halt operations and leave the area.
The Commission's response came after a formal question from Yannis Maniatis, head of PASOK's European Parliament group and Vice President of the Socialists and Democrats. The Commission confirmed the vessel completed its planned work without disruption, though it acknowledged that no official notification of Turkey's radio call was formally lodged.
Crucially, the Commission's statement amounts to a direct rejection of Turkey's longstanding claim that Greek islands hold no Exclusive Economic Zone or continental shelf rights. By affirming that EU-funded projects operate under UNCLOS, Brussels implicitly confirmed those maritime zones exist under international law, contradicting Ankara's position.
The Commission also made clear that any cooperative relationship between the EU and Turkey requires unconditional respect for international agreements, the UN Charter, and a halt to unilateral actions that violate the sovereign rights of EU member states.
The SEA-SPINE project connects Greek island communities digitally and is classified as a strategic EU priority. Turkey had previously interfered with the Greece-Cyprus Great Sea Interconnector electricity cable, which is also EU-funded and listed as one of only eight EU Energy Corridors.
