Turkey demands its approval in EU's East Med project

ANKARA

Turkey on Monday expressed strong reservations over not being consulted over an EU-backed project in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Ankara sent a diplomatic note to the Greek and Israeli embassies as well as the Delegation of the European Union saying that any further action should not take place without seeking permission from the Turkish government, diplomatic sources said speaking on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

On March 8, Israel, Greece, and the Greek Cypriot administration signed a memorandum of understanding on the EuroAsia Interconnector, which connects the electricity grids of the three states through a sub-sea cable.

The diplomatic note stated that the grid passes through Turkey's territorial waters, the sources said.

The project's visual documentation showed the planned route of the sub-sea electricity cable includes Turkey's continental shelf in the Eastern Mediterranean, the sources added.

According to international law, if a preliminary study is required before laying the cables, Turkey's permission must be sought.

If a preliminary study is not necessary, then Turkey should be informed in advance, added the sources.