Greece licenses Exxon, Total to explore untapped waters off Crete - REUTERS

JUNE 27, 2019 / 2:44 PM

ATHENS, June 27 (Reuters) - Greece on Thursday awarded licences to ExxonMobil and Total to search for hydrocarbons off the island of Crete, marking the country’s first major foray into an oil and gas search in the region.

The companies, in consortium with Hellenic Petroleum , have an eight-year research and exploitation licence in two offshore blocks lying south and south-west of Crete.

“Within two to four years we anticipate we will have a clear view of what and what kind of reserves are there,” Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said in a speech at the licensing ceremony.

Greece has a number of smaller concessions mainly off its western coast, but the Crete concessions represent 40,000 square kilometres of territory virtually unexplored.

Greece Inks Undersea Gas Deals Despite Environmental Warning - U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT / ASSOCIATED PRESS

June 27, 2019, at 11:10 a.m.
NICHOLAS PAPHITIS, Associated Press

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Financially-struggling Greece signed contracts on Thursday for offshore gas exploration in large tracts of the Mediterranean, despite warnings from environmental groups that the project threatens marine life habitats.

The deal will allow a consortium of energy companies Total and ExxonMobil with Greece's Hellenic Petroleum to explore two areas that are together about the size of Switzerland - 40,000 square kilometers (15,000 sq. miles) - south and southwest of the island of Crete.

It's the latest and by far biggest in a series of concessions for oil and gas exploration in the west of the country.

Fears of confrontation with neighboring Turkey over energy extraction rights have precluded similar deals in the Aegean Sea and east of Crete. Turkey currently has a drilling ship, escorted by warships, in waters where Cyprus has exclusive economic rights, and has threatened to make similar moves further west.

Premier Tsipras Announces US’ ExxonMobil to Conduct Exploration South of Crete - GREEK REPORTER

Add caption

Jun 21, 2019Nick Kampouris

Greek Premier Alexis Tsipras announced on Friday that the Greek government and the American Energy giant ExxonMobil will sign an agreement regarding energy exploration and drilling next week.

Speaking to journalists in Brussels following the two-day European Council Summit, Tsipras said that Greece has reached an agreement with the US-based company, which will soon start to search for, and later exploit, natural gas deposits which are south and southwest of Crete, inside Greece’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).

”Greece goes ahead with the exploitation of its own Exclusive Economic Zone, in the same manner that Cyprus does with its own,” the Greek Prime Minister noted after the Summit.

Tsipras said that, following years of planning and conducting the proper foreign policy, ”It is time to bear the fruits.”

Bulgarian PM Borisov: IGB to Lead to a Real Diversification of Sources - NOVINITE

May 25, 2019, Saturday // 08:57

Interconnector Greece-Bulgaria (IGB), which envisages transportation of Azerbaijani gas to Bulgaria will ensure real diversification of sources, said Bulgaria’s Prime Minister Boyko Borissov, Trend reports.

He made the remarks during a meeting with Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras before the groundbreaking ceremony of the interconnector that took place May 22 in Bulgaria’s Kirkovo.

“The realization of the project for construction of gas interconnection between Bulgaria and Greece will have a key role for the whole region and for Europe. The project is of strategic importance not only for our two countries but also for the whole of Europe, including the countries of the Western Balkans," said the prime minister.

Borissov pointed out that the interconnector will lead to a real diversification of the sources and routes for natural gas supply.

IGB is a gas pipeline, which will allow Bulgaria to receive Azerbaijani gas, in particular, the gas produced from Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz 2 gas and condensate field. IGB is expected to be connected to TAP via which gas from the Shah Deniz field will be delivered to the European markets.

The initial capacity of IGB will be 3 billion cubic meters of gas.

ELPE, seeing growth, to reopen northern pipeline late this year - ENERGY PRESS

02/APRIL/2019

An oil pipeline stretching 213 kilometers from an ELPE (Hellenic Petroleum) facility in Thessaloniki to its Okta company refinery and storage facility in the Republic of North Macedonia is expected to be reopened towards the end of this year, roughly six years after the Greek petroleum group shut it down.

The matter has been included on the agenda for a meeting in Skopje today between officials from both sides of the border, led by their respective heads of state, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and his North Macedonian peer Zoran Zaev. The two leaders have agreed to sign a series of bilateral agreements and memorandums of cooperation.

Swift progress is being sought in efforts to finalize a customs agreement, align the oil pipeline plan with EU standards and facilitate its licensing.

ELPE intends to utilize the relaunched oil pipeline to transport fuel, especially diesel, in annual quantities of around one million metric tons, far greater than the total consumption in North Macedonia for exports to Bulgaria, Serbia and Kosovo, besides local sales.

Pompeo welcomes trilateral cooperation (Update 2) - CYPRUS MAIL

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, President Anastasiades,
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Greek
Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras in Jerusalem

MARCH 20, 2019

Jean Christou

The governments of Cyprus, the US, Israel and Greece on Wednesday agreed to increase regional cooperation, support energy independence and security, and to “defend against external malign influences” in the Eastern Mediterranean and the broader Middle East.

The US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who attended the Jerusalem summit, expressed US support for the trilateral mechanism established by the three countries when, according to a brief official declaration following the summit, they met “to affirm their shared commitment to promoting peace, stability, security and prosperity in the Eastern Mediterranean region”.

According to the statement, Pompeo noted the importance of increased cooperation with the three countries.

Joint Statement USA Greece Israel Cyprus - TWITTER CYPRUS FM

Summit Declaration of the Southern European Union Countries - REPUBLIC OF CYPRUS

Nicosia, 29 January 2019 

1.We, the Heads of State or Government of Cyprus, France, Italy, Greece, Portugal, Malta, and Spain, have convened in Nicosia for the fifth Summit of the Southern European Union Countries.

2.Following our last Summit in Rome, we gathered today to reaffirm our profound commitment to the European project and our common values, such as the rule of law, freedom, democracy, human rights and solidarity and to address multiple challenges through continuous display of solidarity and collective responses at the EU level. We reaffirm our strong belief that, building our common European project upon a perspective for the Mediterranean as a region of peace, stability and prosperity, is in the interest of Europe as a whole.

3.Convinced that a strong and united European Union is the best way forward, we are determined to contribute constructively to the debate on our shared future. At the Sibiu Informal Summit, on 9 May 2019, we intend to provide guidance for the new legislative cycle and contribute to the Strategic Agenda for 2019-2024. We also anticipate a renewed commitment to a modernised EU that delivers on the issues that really matter to its citizens. We have paid close attention to the results of our intensive cycle of Citizens' Dialogues and Citizens' Consultations; in our work on the next Strategic Agenda, we will make our utmost in providing new and appropriate ways of engaging citizens and responding to their legitimate concerns.

MED-7 Summit in Nicosia set to focus on EU’s great challenges - CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY

CNA - Cyprus/NICOSIA 29/01/2019 08:08

The 5th MED-7 Summit which will take place on Monday afternoon, in Nicosia, is set to focus on the great challenges the EU is faced with today, including the migration crisis, Brexit, energy security, the next multi-annual fiscal framework, developments in the euro area and climate change.

Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades will host French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa, Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat and Spanish Foreign Minister Josep Borrell, at the Filoxenia Conference Centre, in Nicosia.

In statements yesterday, Government Spokesman Prodromos Prodromou said that “the seven countries share common interests.

Cyprus, Greece, Israel to set up multi-party military force for energy security - XINHUA

2018-12-22 04:16:18

NICOSIA, Cyprus, Greece and Israel have decided to set up a multi-party military force to provide security for natural gas infrastructure, Cyprus' state television reported on Friday.

It said that the multi-party force decision was among unreported issues discussed at a summit of the three countries in Israel on Thursday.

Quoting unnamed diplomatic sources at the Beer Sheba summit of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his Greek counterpart Alexis Tsipras and Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades, Cyprus's state television said parties involved in natural gas exploration in the eastern Mediterranean will be invited to participate with military units in the force.

Among countries expected to be invited to join the force is the United States as two U.S.-based companies, ExxonMobil and Noble Energy, are involved in natural gas exploration.

U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman participated for the first time in the tripartite summit of Israel, Cyprus and Greece, expressing his country's support both for the regional cooperation groupings and the EastMed project.

A step closer to an east Med ‘alliance’ - CYPRUS MAIL

DECEMBER 21, 2018

Elias Hazou

THE leaders of Cyprus, Greece and Israel said on Thursday they were ready to proceed with an inter-state agreement concerning the EastMed pipeline, following a trilateral summit in Beersheba, Israel.

The agreement will be signed pending approval from the European Commission, as the pipeline project has been designated an EU Project of Common Interest (PCI).

Speaking after the tripartite summit, the fifth in a series, president Nicos Anastasiades said the decision to go ahead with the pipeline was among the most important and substantial decisions taken during the proceedings.

“We have reached an agreement,” he said, noting that the text will be signed once it receives the approval of the European Commission.

The agreement also contains references to the security of energy infrastructure.

Anastasiades added that together with the pime ministers of Greece and Israel, Alexis Tsipras and Benjamin Netanyahu, they reaffirmed their political determination to promote the subsea electricity cable known as the EuroAsia Interconnector.

US ambassador to Israel pledges support for Mediterranean pipeline - KATHIMERINI

Anastasiades CY, Netanyahu IL, Tsipras GR

THURSDAY DECEMBER 20, 2018, 19:15

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday said that Israel, Greece and Cyprus will sign an agreement early next year to build a pipeline to carry natural gas from the eastern Mediterranean to Europe, while the United States pledged its support for the ambitious project.

The $7 billion project, expected to take six or seven years to complete, promises to reshape the region as an energy provider and dent Russia’s dominance over the European energy market. It also could curtail Iranian ambitions to use Syria as a gateway to the eastern Mediterranean.

Speaking at a summit with the Greek and Cypriot leaders in southern Israel, Netanyahu said the three nations reaffirmed their commitment to the pipeline and discussed "important aspects" of the project. Italy is also a partner in the pipelines planning. Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades said the project is waiting for a green light from the European Union to move forward.

"We’re going to sign formally, officially, this agreement in a few months," he said.

In another boost for the project, US Ambassador David Friedman hailed the pipeline as integral to the "stability and prosperity of the Middle East and Europe," and urged all countries in the region to ensure its success.

Putin says TurkStream Gas Pipeline Could be Extended via Greece - ASIAN OIL & GAS

Friday, 07 December 2018 04:19

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that the TurkStream gas pipeline could be extended further into Europe via Greece, as he met Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras in Moscow.

The first line of TurkStream, which runs from Russia to Turkey via the Black Sea bed, is intended for Turkish consumption only. Russia has said that a second line will also end in Turkey and Europe must choose the route and build the extension itself.

Several routes, including via Greece and Bulgaria, are under consideration.

"We are ready for implementation of large-scale infrastructure energy projects jointly with Greece. This is also about connecting southern Europe to TurkStream via Greece," Putin said at a joint briefing with Tsipras in Moscow.

Gazprom is building TurkStream to bypass Ukraine, the key route used to ship Russian gas to Europe, amid political tension.

Its two lines will each have a capacity of 15.75 billion cubic metres of gas per year, with the first due to be operational by the end of 2019. 

Reporting by Vladimir Soldatkin and Polya Ivanova; Editing by Kirsten Donovan

Israel, Cyprus, Greece and Italy agree on $7b. East Med gas pipeline to Europe - THE TIMES OF ISRAEL

24 November 2018, 10:03 pm

Greece, Italy, and Cyprus have reached an agreement with Israel to lay a pipeline connecting the Jewish state’s gas reserves to the three countries, in a major project estimated at costing over $7 billion that will supply gas from the eastern Mediterranean to Europe, as the continent seeks to diversify its energy supply.

According to Hadashot TV, the European Union agreed to invest $100 million in a feasibility study for the project before the agreement was reached over the laying of the longest and deepest underwater gas pipeline in the world.

As part of the agreement, Israel and Cyprus will be granted preference over other countries in exporting gas to the European market, according to the report.

The EastMed Pipeline Project is to start about 170 kilometers (105 miles) off Cyprus’s southern coast and stretch for 2,200 kilometers (1,350 miles) to reach Otranto, Italy, via Crete and the Greek mainland.

The pipeline will have the capacity to carry up to 20 billion cubic meters (706 billion cubic feet) of gas yearly. Europe’s gas import needs are projected to increase by 100 billion cubic meters (3.5 billion cubic feet) annually by 2030.

Work on the project is expected to begin within a few months, and to conclude within five years, Hadashot TV reported.

Tsipras-Netanyahu talks focus on EastMed pipeline - KATHIMERINI

03.11.2018 : 12:19

Stavros Papantoniou

PHOTO: (L-R) Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov, Serbian President Alexander Vucic, Greece's Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, Romanian Prime Minister Viorica Dancila, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pose for a picture after a press briefing during the Quadrilateral Summit Greece-Bulgaria-Romania-Serbia at Evsinograd Palace in Varna, Friday.

The “large geopolitical significance” of the EastMed pipeline, which will transfer natural gas from the Eastern Mediterranean to Europe, was stressed by Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras during his meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Bulgarian seaside resort of Varna on Friday.

Tsipras, who met the Israeli premier on the sidelines of a Balkan summit of Greek, Bulgarian, Romanian and Serbian leaders, said the project is of “financial and geopolitical high value.”

At the same time, Tsipras and Netanyahu also discussed the upgrade of the northern Greek port city of Thessaloniki into a Balkan hub of innovation with the participation of Israeli businesses which are already active there.

Tsipras also referred to the benefits to Southeastern Europe that will come from the Interconnector Greece-Bulgaria (IGB) natural gas pipeline, which will link Alexandroupoli to Bulgaria. In addition he spoke about other road and rail projects that will link countries in the Balkan region.

Greece and Egypt moving closer to EEZ agreement - KATHIMERINI

11.10.2018 : 16:42

Vassilis Nedos

The much-discussed delineation of the exclusive economic zones (EEZ) of Greece and Egypt was on the table at a trilateral meeting between Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades on the island of Crete on Wednesday.

Speaking after the meeting, the sixth between the three leaders, Tsipras said that “technical details” remain before Greece and Egypt wrap up talks on the issue that began three years ago.

Government sources said that Tsipras and Sisi agreed that this should happen by the end of the year.

Greece, Egypt back Cyprus gas exploration - THE WASHINGTON POST / ASSOCIATED PRESS

October 10 at 12:55 PMDerek Gatopoulos and Menelaos Hadjicostis

ATHENS, Greece — The leaders of Greece and Egypt on Wednesday backed efforts by regional ally Cyprus to exploit off-shore gas deposits, despite strong objection from Turkey.

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras hosted a meeting Wednesday with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi and Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades on the island of Crete. The talks were the sixth meeting between the three leaders aimed at forming an energy-based alliance in the east Mediterranean.

U.S. energy giant ExxonMobil will search for natural gas off the coast of Cyprus by the end of the year, a senior executive said last week.

“We have clearly expressed our support for Cyprus in its efforts to capitalize on the sovereign rights deriving from International Law regarding (offshore deposits) and to make progress in their exploitation,” said Tsipras.

Turkey’s Rise Sparks New Friendship Between Israel and Greece - THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

B.Netanyahu (L), N.Anastasiades (C), A.Tsipras, May 2018,Cyprus

July 21, 2018 7:00 a.m. ETYaroslav Trofimov

Greece’s leftist Syriza party ditches its antagonism toward Israel and cooperates with Netanyahu’s government as Ankara asserts power in region

ATHENS—It’s hard to find a better example of how geopolitical realities trump ideology than the blossoming friendship between Israel and Greece.

As the leader of Greece’s leftist Syriza party before gaining office in 2015, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras called to expel Israel’s ambassador and close Greek ports to U.S. arms shipments heading to Israel.

Syriza’s leftist allies in Europe still demonize Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his right-wing government. Many of them back the boycott, sanctions and disinvestment campaign against Israel.

Not Mr. Tsipras—who intensified cooperation with Israel instead. The leaders of Israel, Greece and Cyprus are holding regular trilateral summits—the fourth was in May—and the Israeli air force uses Greek airspace for training. The three countries, plus Egypt, are jointly developing the eastern Mediterranean’s natural-gas reserves.

The key reason for all this: Turkey.

Cyprus, Greece, and Israel Chart a Common Path - BESA CENTER

June 10, 2018
Dr. George N. Tzogopoulos

BESA Center Perspectives Paper No. 861

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Cyprus, Greece, and Israel are steadily building a democratic geopolitical bloc in the Eastern Mediterranean. They are exploring ways to collaborate in fields ranging from energy to communication technology and defense. Greek-American and American-Jewish communities are exploiting the momentum to further boost the developing “triangle” and encourage US support. However, despite progress among the governments and the generally positive climate, warning signs of anti-Semitism in Greece underline the need for grassroots action to combine political achievements with wide public support.

The fourth Cyprus-Greece-Israel tripartite summit, which took place in Nicosia on May 8, 2018, made plain the determination of the three countries to deepen their cooperation. Nicos Anastasiades, Alexis Tsipras, and Benjamin Netanyahu discussed new fields of interest, including public security, cinema co-production, maritime pollution, telecommunications, and the reduction of data roaming costs. They agreed that the fifth trilateral summit will take place within the year in Beersheba, a place described by Netanyahu as “cyber city.” At that event, the parties plan to advance their dialogue on communication technologies.

Israel, Cyprus, Greece push East Med gas pipeline to Europe - ISRAEL HAYOM

Wednesday May 9, 2018

The leaders of Israel, Cyprus and Greece said Tuesday they are determined to push ahead with plans for a pipeline that would supply east Mediterranean gas to Europe as the continent seeks to diversify its supplies.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the East Med pipeline a "very serious endeavor" that was important for Europe, which is looking for new sources of energy.

Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades said the three countries aim to sign an agreement this year to nudge the pipeline project forward.

"This project creates a rivaled network of common interests and clear strategic benefit for our countries and beyond since its implementation will tangibly contribute to the security of the European Union's energy supply," Anastasiades said.

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras called the project "emblematic" of the cooperation between the three countries.

The EU is looking favorably on the project, too, since the 28-member bloc has forked out €34.5 million ($41 million) to fund a technical study, the Cypriot president said.