George Papanastasiou: Work must continue on the electrical interconnection

The discussion on the GSI was constructive and should continue in order for a conclusion to be reached, Minister of Energy, George Papanastasiou, said after the end of the long meeting at the Presidential Palace on the subject of the Cyprus-Greece electrical interconnection (Great Sea Interconnector).

"The meeting was long and there was a constructive discussion between the parties and it is a work that must continue and will continue", Papanastasiou said in his statements after the end of the broad meeting that lasted 4.5 hours, under President Christodoulides and in the presence of the Greek Minister of Environment and Energy, the Cyprus Ministry of Finance, the Attorney General, the head of IPTO, representatives of the European Commission and the French company Nexans.

In answer to a related question, the Minister of Energy said that the discussion would continue with consultations between the parties.

Asked if the parties are closer or further away from an agreement, Papanastasiou said he could not say anything else, noting that the Greek Minister of Energy and the rest of the delegation had to leave. "And this work should continue," he added.

Answering a question about whether there are timetables for the conclusion of the discussion "because ultimatums were set from the Greek side," Papanastasiou said that "there are no ultimatums".

"We said there was a constructive discussion and we should continue the work from where we left off today," he noted, adding that he could not say anything else as the work was ongoing.

Reiterating that the discussion is constructive and ongoing, the Energy Minister said that some more time should be given.

Papanastasiou said that he cannot make any reference to what was discussed in the meeting.

"I repeat that it was a constructive discussion, the parties understand the positions of the other side and essentially this work must be continued in order to come to an end," the Minister of Energy concluded.

(Source: InBusinessNews)