RIYADH – 20 February 2026: Saudi Arabia is reportedly seeking to reroute a planned fibre-optic cable linking the kingdom to Greece through Syria instead of Israel, reflecting evolving regional dynamics and infrastructure priorities.
According to regional officials cited by Middle East Eye, Riyadh now prefers Syria as the transit country for the East to Med Data Corridor (EMC), a joint Saudi–Greek project announced in 2022. The initiative involves Saudi Telecom Company (stc), Greece’s Public Power Corporation (PPC), Greek telecom operators and satellite applications company TTSA.
Initial plans appeared to route the corridor through Israel and its offshore waters. However, political shifts in the region and changing diplomatic alignments have prompted Saudi Arabia to reconsider the transit path.
The EMC project was first unveiled during a period when Saudi Arabia was engaged in normalization talks with Israel under US mediation. Those discussions stalled following the October 2023 conflict in Gaza.
Officials familiar with the matter indicated that Riyadh also envisions a High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) electrical interconnection between Saudi Arabia and Greece via Syria, further reinforcing Damascus’ role in regional connectivity.
Saudi Arabia has recently stepped up engagement with Syria. Earlier this month, stc announced plans to invest approximately $800 million in Syria’s telecommunications infrastructure, including a fibre-optic network exceeding 4,500 kilometres aimed at enhancing regional and international connectivity.
Analysts note that the move aligns with Saudi efforts to reintegrate Syria into the regional economic framework and diversify strategic infrastructure routes.
Greece, meanwhile, continues to position itself as a connectivity hub between Europe and the Middle East, particularly in energy, real estate and artificial intelligence sectors. Ports such as Marseille and Genoa have traditionally served as entry points for subsea cables into Europe, but routes are gradually shifting eastward, placing Greece and Türkiye in greater focus.
Greek and Saudi banks have agreed to finance 60% of the EMC project. In 2023, EMC signed a supply agreement with Alcatel Submarine Networks for the construction of subsea and terrestrial cable systems.
