Finance Minister Makis Keravnos on Monday dismissed suggestions of dissension inside the government regarding the Great Sea Interconnector (GSI) project, after the leader of the Diko party accused the government of double-speak.

Earlier, the head of the Diko party Nicholas Papadopoulos had said the government was speaking with a ‘forked tongue’ about the GSI – questioning the administration’s stated commitment to the mooted €1.9 billion project linking the electricity grids of Cyprus and Greece via a subsea cable.

Responding, Keravnos said his own position is the same as that of the Cypriot government.

“It is the one set out by the president and by the Greek prime minister, namely that there is a need to update certain technical and economic parameters [relating to the GSI].

“This is the context in which the government will proceed.”

In early November after talks held in the Greek capital, Nicosia and Athens agreed to “update the economic and technical parameters” of the GSI – effectively a new cost-benefit analysis.

More recently, EU energy commissioner Dan Jorgensen said that no new study is required, stressing that the interconnector is a project of strategic priority for Brussels.

Jorgensen was responding to a Cypriot MEP’s query about the GSI. He reiterated that the project’s benefits outweigh its costs. The EU commissioner was alluding to a study done back in 2016.

Queried about Jorgensen’s remarks, Keravnos declined comment.

“I won’t comment on anyone else’s statements. I comment on the government’s views, repeated by the president yesterday.”

Over the weekend, President Nikos Christodoulides insisted there are no internal disagreements in the government regarding the GSI.

“There never were. This government supports the strategic goal, which is the electrical interconnector between Greece and Cyprus.”

Christodoulides went on to claim that the idea for an updated study came from the Greek prime minister.

Asked if he continues to consider the project unviable, Keravnos replied: “It is not I who thinks the project not viable.

“Studies are done for every project. There is now the understanding that an update is necessary. A large amount of time has passed since the EU approved the amount, it’s been a decade.”

He was evidently referring to the European Commission green-lighting €657 million in grants for the interconnector – although that decision was taken in January 2022. It was not clear whether Keravnos misspoke.

On whether the government will now disburse the €25 million for the GSI for this year – an amount sought by the project promoter – Keravnos gave a non-committal answer: “Once the conditions are met, the funds are available in the budget.”