Samaras accuses Mitsotakis government of secret diplomacy over Cyprus cable

A statement on the cable and the French note

Former prime minister Antonis Samaras issued a statement on Friday, 13 November, attacking the government of Kyriakos Mitsotakis over the Greece-Cyprus electricity interconnection cable. The statement centres on survey work by the French vessel Abeille Marengo for the project and on a verbal note that France sent to Turkey about the cable. Samaras said he had warned on 25 October about the negative consequences of accepting Turkey's request to be "informed", and he faulted the cabinet for choosing a conciliatory course toward Turkey instead.

“On 25 October I warned about the negative consequences of accepting the Turkish request for "information". Unfortunately, the government chose the policy of appeasement.”

Six questions on the French note

Samaras put six numbered questions to the government. He asked who authorised France to send the note to Turkey on Greece's behalf, and on whose instructions. He also asked who agreed to the note's content, and when and why. Another question asks why the French vessel did not sail until the Turkish side had been informed, and a fourth asks what role a NAVTEX issued by Turkey plays if France had already informed Ankara. His fifth question asks why Athens did not make a démarche to France or suspend the licence granted to the French company, if the steps were taken without Greece's knowledge. The sixth asks whether Greece will now demand similar "information" about Turkish actions.

Charges of secret diplomacy

Samaras accuses Mitsotakis and foreign minister Giorgos Gerapetritis of running "secret diplomacy", which he says leads to a new Madrid and Helsinki and to a new Imia. He adds that this diplomacy turned even Greece's allies into "Pontius Pilates". He describes the handing over of foreign policy to third parties, the greying of Greek areas and the tolerance of faits accomplis imposed by Turkey as the "Prespes of the Aegean". He argues that the government is trying to dress sin as virtue, and says the Greek people do not accept such "abominations". He closes the statement with a line about being heard.

“We have spoken a lot. Woe to those who do not listen...”

What remains open

Samaras's questions are framed as open demands, and the statement does not answer them. It leaves unresolved who gave France its mandate to write to Ankara and whether Athens knew of the note in advance. The dispute is therefore a question of accountability for a cable project, with the French survey ship and the Turkish NAVTEX at its centre.