A strong bipartisan group of members of the US Congress has called for the immediate declaration of the Great Sea Interconnector (GSI) as a central priority of the United States’ foreign and economic strategy in the Eastern Mediterranean . In their official letter, the US lawmakers directly link the electricity interconnection project between Greece, Cyprus and Israel to the strategic India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) , underlining that its implementation directly serves Washington’s vital geopolitical and economic interests in the wider region.
The initiative is co-signed by Democratic Rep . Brad Snyder and Republican Gus Bilirakis , along with Reps. Jake Auchinleckos , Dan Goldman , Craig Goldman and Haley Stevens . The letter is addressed to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the head of the American Development Bank (DFC) Ben Black , coming at a particularly critical juncture for the project, as it was preceded in Athens by the formal agreement for the entry of the French investment group Meridiam as a majority shareholder in the GSI implementing body.
At the heart of the legislators’ reasoning is the role of the Eastern Mediterranean as a strategic gateway to the IMEC . As it is characteristically pointed out, Washington has every reason to support infrastructure that strengthens regional cooperation among its key allies, diversifies energy routes, and ensures the West’s energy self-sufficiency. At the same time, such projects are presented as a credible, Western alternative to energy and trade networks controlled or influenced by US strategic competitors .
At a regional level, the interconnection of the electricity networks of Greece, Cyprus and Israel is expected to bring about key changes in the energy map. The project will put a definitive end to the energy isolation of the Republic of Cyprus , significantly enhance Israel’s energy security and enable the two-way flow of electricity between the European continent and the Middle East, creating a single and resilient energy corridor.
Particular emphasis is also given to the geopolitical challenges and regional frictions that accompany the implementation of the submarine cable. For this reason, the authors of the letter request a classified briefing from the US government , in order to examine in detail the security obstacles and to form a stable framework to protect and support the investment.
This specific move is inextricably linked to the legislative framework of the Eastern Mediterranean Gateway Act , a bipartisan legislative initiative introduced by Snyder and Bilirakis, which has already received the green light from the House Foreign Affairs Committee and is recording corresponding progress in the Senate . Through this lens, the Great Sea Interconnector is no longer viewed simply as a technical energy transmission project, but as a central geostrategic tool in the modern architecture of international competition and security.
