The Blue Eye 'surrenders' to the Greeks? What is the truth behind the statement of the mayor of Corfu

The Mayor of North Corfu, George Machimaris has raised for the local media the issue of water transfer from Albania to cope with the lack of water in the coming decades on this island.

An ERT NEWS article , dated May 26 this year, writes that an agreement is being prepared between the neighboring country and the Albanian government, to intervene at the Blue Eye in Saranda and to transfer the pure groundwater to Greece.

"Taking into account both the developments and the current situation in the coming years, we will face the water crisis, a crisis that has been dragging on with the same characteristics for more than 30 years in a row. With a sense of responsibility to our society, to our visitors, we present a proposal / technical memorandum of water supply with spring transfer from the BLUE EYE of neighboring Albania, taking into account and using the experience of the submarine pipeline that connects the Aegina water supply with "EYDAP in Salamis, the accumulated experience of the local government and the existing studies such as that of the Polytechnic (1991), which can be updated in the current data", declared Machimaris.

This case was denounced today by the PD MP, Ina Zhupa.

"Blue Eye is a natural park and has the status of a protected area since 2002. Works, pipelines, interventions would be categorically prohibited and to the detriment of this cultural heritage.

Saranda, Delvina, other cities suffer from a lack of drinking water but have never considered such an illegal intervention in the Blue Eye.

"How could it be thought that this illegal intervention was made to supply Greece ?!", Zhupa writes on social networks.

The Ministry of Tourism and Environment reacts

After the denunciation in the media, comes the reaction from the Ministry of Tourism and Environment. In an official response, the ministry rejects these claims and clarifies that there is no such agreement.

“Ministria e Turizmit dhe Mjedisit, nisur nga disa lajme të përhapura në media të ndryshme mbi një propozim/memorandum teknik të supozuar të furnizimit me ujë me transferim burimi nga Syri i Kaltër drejt Korfuzit, sqaron:

Nuk ka asnjë marrëveshje të tillë dhe as nuk ka pasur diskutime për një projekt të ngjashëm sipas lajmit të përhapur nga mediat. Pretendimet e ngritura janë të pavërteta.

Syri i Kaltër është një pasuri natyrore e Shqipërisë, i cili me vendimet e muajit janar 2022 ka marrë një status më të lartë mbrojtjeje, atë të “Parkut Natyror” me një sipërfaqe të rritur në 293 hektarë, për të mbrojtur më mirë Monumentin e Natyrës me të njëjtin emër, që mban brenda parkut”, thuhet në reagimin e ministrisë.

The first news about the supply of blue water to Corfu came out in 2001. There have been several Greek proposals over the years on this issue, but the Albanian side has never given the green light for such an agreement.

Recall that the Blue Eye is a natural park and has gained the status of a protected area since 2002.