Mitsotakis: Our energy policy is emerging as a central pillar of our foreign policy

“ We are meeting today at a critical moment, as international relationships around us are being shaken and the world is changing in conditions where old alliances and geopolitical balances are being questioned. In the midst of this extremely fluid order of things, the only certainty is uncertainty. And this is something that really gives a special importance to the Energy Agreements, which the Environment and Energy Minister will soon present from the United States, where he currently is,” said Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis during his introductory remarks at Thursday’s cabinet meeting.

“ ExxonMobil and Chevron are two of the largest, foremost companies in the field. They are now investing in our country, in our waters, partnering with very important and large Greek companies such as Helleniq Energy and Energean. Thus, they underline that they trust the stability, prospects and future of our country”, emphasized Mitsotakis.

He noted that the potential investments being discussed far exceed one billion euros, with the Greek state projected to receive 40% of the profits, and stressed that “Greece is exercising its sovereign rights in practice and not in words.” At the same time, he added, it is also becoming the main entry and distribution gateway for natural gas for all the countries of central and eastern Europe, including struggling Ukraine.

The prime minister further emphasised that US liquefied natural gas plays a decisive role in Europe’s decision for energy independence from Russia in energy, with the Vertical Corridor serving as critical infrastructure and a crucial hub, which makes it “a project that essentially upgrades the position of our country, especially I would say Northern Greece, Macedonia and Thrace”.

The Greek premier underlined that “ these are initiatives that simultaneously have a very deep, very substantial geopolitical footprint. And it is no coincidence that these developments are accompanied by the 3+1 platform in the Eastern Mediterranean, that is, the cooperation of Greece, Cyprus, Israel and the United States in the wider region. In other words, our energy policy is emerging as a central pillar of our foreign policy.

“ These are therefore developments that fully justify the choice of this government, which since the beginning of 2022 has been quietly advancing the processes for [oil and gas] exploration and extraction, as well as the removal of the many bureaucratic obstacles that have so far acted as a brake on the real interest shown by major energy players. And this is because such investments certainly mean more jobs, additional revenue, but above all they create very important achievements linked to our national issues, which are now also gaining international recognition,” he said.

Mitsotakis pointed out that “ after all, our sovereign rights are not a matter of private contracts, they are a matter of compliance with international law.

“Let us also consider that Greece, today as we speak, is already discussing with Libya on the delimitation of maritime zones, as we did with Egypt. And a positive development in these negotiations must obviously be compatible with the progress of the explorations”.

Source: amna.gr