[InTime News]
Government officials on Wednesday rejected criticism from former prime minister Antonis Samaras over the terms of an offshore gas exploration deal with US energy giant Chevron and a troubled project for an undersea power link with Cyprus.
Officials said that the comments by Samaras – who has been expelled from the governing New Democracy party that he formerly headed – are “out of touch with reality.” The officials spoke on customary condition of anonymity.
Samaras, who has reportedly been toying with the idea of forming a new political party well to the right of ND, had claimed that the agreement with Chevron for exploration off Crete contained terms that implicitly cast doubt on Greek sovereignty in the area.
He also accused the Greek government of being economical with the truth when discussing the Cyprus undersea cable, and asserted that the project was halted following interference from Turkey.