NAVTEX Tension and Cable Research in the Eastern Mediterranean

The Eunomia exercise planned to be held in the Eastern Mediterranean with the participation of Greece, France, Italy, and the Greek Cypriot Administration, alongside submarine cable research projects, has come to the forefront once again with Turkey's continental shelf objections and NAVTEX announcements.

The Eunomia exercise planned south of Meis Island with the participation of Greece, France, Italy, and the Greek Cypriot Administration in the Eastern Mediterranean, as well as seabed research activities in the region, has sparked controversy. Turkey stated that some of the working areas are located within its own continental shelf and published objection announcements via the Antalya NAVTEX station.

At the center of the discussions in the region are the Great Sea Interconnector electricity interconnection and the East to Med Corridor data cable projects. While the French research vessel Abeille Marengo is planned to operate for the approximately 1.9 billion euro electricity interconnection project, a research announcement was also made for the data cable line between October 21 and November 2, 2026. Ankara argues that activities to be carried out in these areas must be conducted in coordination with Turkey.