Rubio says US committed to Mediterranean undersea power cable

ATHENS, Oct 8 (Reuters) - The ‌US supports ​an ​EU-backed undersea power cable scheme in the eastern Mediterranean and will use diplomacy to try to remove ‌any possible hurdles, Secretary of State Marco Rubio told a ⁠Greek newspaper.

Greece's power grid operator IPTO is developing the €1.9 billion scheme, which aims ‌to link the European ‌mainland to Cyprus and later Israel, but progress has been slow amid a dispute between Greece and Turkey over ​the maritime area that will be designated for laying down the cable.

Greece wants to resume seabed surveying to determine ⁠the route soon, a move Turkey says would need prior coordination between the two ​countries as it crosses an area under a 2019 maritime deal with Libya, which Athens has rejected.

Rubio said ​in the interview with Kathimerini ‌newspaper, published on Thursday, that the US was "very committed" to the project as it promotes energy supply ⁠diversification, which he said was necessary due to Russia's war in Ukraine and the situation in the Strait of Hormuz.

"We understand there ⁠are some potential impediments, there are some things standing in the way, ​and we intend to use our diplomatic efforts to remind all parties how important this is to us and why this matters. And I ‌hope to find resolutions," he said.

French investment group Meridiam signed in August an agreement to ‌become the majority shareholder in the project.

Cyprus is the only EU ⁠country that has no ‌link to other members' ​electricity markets, and the cable aims to improve its energy security.

(Reporting by Angeliki Koutantou; Editing by Alison ‌Williams)

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