The statements made by the President of the Republic outside a church courtyard on Sunday, commenting on a Phileleftheros' report about ADMIE, can only be described as reckless.
The Greek state-owned company ADMIE (independent transmission system operator) is responsible for implementing the Great Sea Interconnector (GSI), which provides for the laying of an undersea cable that will electrically connect Cyprus with Greece, and by extension, with Europe. ADMIE is a publicly listed company, meaning it is required to publish its financial statements, debts, investments, and receivables. Therefore, it had an obligation to send the letter to CERA (Cyprus Energy Regulatory Authority), which later leaked to Phileleftheros, though not in full.
In simple terms, what should a responsible and serious President have done before commenting the way he did on that report? One would expect him to call CERA, to be properly and officially informed about the full content of the letter, and most importantly, to hear CERA’s own assessment of its significance.
Instead, he made the following statement:
“If the head of ADMIE thinks that with such letters or paid publications he can blackmail the Cypriot government, he clearly doesn’t know who he’s dealing with. The government is here to defend only the interests of the Cypriot people.”
The statement caused an uproar in both Cyprus and Greece, since ADMIE is, after all, a state-owned company. ADMIE subsequently issued an announcement confirming that it had indeed filed an appeal against CERA’s decision, while also disputing parts of Phileleftheros’ reporting. It maintained that it is merely seeking the recovery of €25 million for its 2025 expenses, and recognition of the remaining €251 million in costs (according to ADMIE) for later recovery once the interconnection becomes operational.
On Sunday night, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis convened a special meeting in Athens. The following morning, Greece’s Minister of Commerce commented that “Greece does not blackmail,” while the Cypriot government walked back much of the President’s statement, stressing that the project will proceed as agreed with the Greek government.
In both countries, the press and social media seized on the story, with some even speculating about a possible rift in Cyprus–Greece relations.
All this because the President, leaving a memorial service outside a church in Nicosia, made yet another impulsive remark.