PM George Papandreou`s intervention at the plenary session of the Eastern Partnership Summit (Warsaw, 30/9/2011)

By virtue of its location, Greece is uniquely positioned as a bridge linking the Eastern and the Mediterranean dimensions of Europe’s Neighborhood Policy and has promoted the development of both since the ENP’s inception. Therefore, we are very supportive of the strengthening of the Eastern Partnership (EaP) envisaged in the new Neighborhood Policy, based on our shared principles of liberty, democracy, respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms and the rule of law.
The re-launching and re-energizing of the Eastern Partnership, and of the European Neighborhood Policy as a whole, was long overdue. It was necessary in order to better respond to serious common challenges – political, economic, geostrategic, environmental or pertaining to security and energy – but also in order to better prepare for the future.
Structural reforms, internal political tensions, gas routes, energy supply, ecological risks, economic development, illegal immigration and organized crime, are only some of the challenges we are faced with in the framework of the Eastern Neighborhood Policy. Our engagement in the Eastern Neighbourhood is also a matter of consistency and credibility for the EU. Our strategic goal is and will remain the creation of a wider area of stability and prosperity, both in the South as well as in the East. This could only be done by boosting mutually beneficial institutional cooperation and by converging on a set of common values and standards, modeled on the EU positive paradigm and experience.

Advertisement

New era in Greek-Turkish relations

High Level Cooperation

Premier George Papandreou and Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan expressed their will to take important steps towards the improvement of Greek-Turkish relations, as the Turkish leader wrapped up an official visit to Athens on Saturday.
This was sealed with the opening session of the Greece-Turkey High Level Cooperation Council and the signing of 21 agreements.
George Papandreou met with the chiefs of Turkish media, while Erdogan with the chiefs of the Greek newspapers.
The Greek premier told Turkish journalists that Erdogan’s visit heralds a new era in Greek-Turkish relations, further adding that the two sides had better overcome their differences. He also touched on economic cooperation between Athens and Ankara.

“We have an agreement”

Twenty-one cooperation agreements in fields as diverse as technology and tourism were signed during the Turkey-Greece High Level Cooperation Council.
Ministers signed agreements boosting trade, investments and shipping and the two countries will hereby extend their cooperation in projects concerning infrastructure works and transnational transport networks.
Relations between the two countries in the field of immigration will be governed by a bilateral agreement which provides for readmission of illegal immigrant flows to Turkey and cooperation in the fight against organized crime, trafficking and civil protection.
Both sides agreed to improve tourism cooperation, aiming at increasing their market share in countries with economic potential such as China, as well as raising global awareness on matters of cultural heritage protection.

Special attention was given to education and synergies concerning research. Environment protection and joint ventures in energy projects including renewable energy sources and the existing Turkey- Greece-Italy gas pipeline were also sealed with respective deals.
In terms of strengthening bilateral ties,  a Joint Political Declaration on the establishment of the High Level Cooperation Council as well as a Protocol on regular political consultations between the two countries’ foreign ministries were signed.

Signing the Olympic Truce

Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan concluded on Saturday his landmark visit to Athens by signing the Olympic Truce initiative.

At a brief ceremony in front of the imposing Panathenaic Stadium, Erdogan referred to the “great honour in signing my name in this book; to put my signature for a world of peace.”
Papandreou said that Turkey’s support for the idea sends out a clear message “by Turkey and Greece to the world,” adding that Greece will actively support Istanbul’s bid to host the 2020 Olympic Games.
(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)

Karamanlis – Berlusconi Focus on Energy & Migration

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)  Illegal migration was the focus of discussions Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis held in Rome with his Italian counterpart Silvio Berlusconi. In brief statements after the meeting Karamanlis said that the EU should act for the solution of the problem, in particular towards the signing of repatriation agreements with the migrants’ countries of origin and transit and the strengthening the EU’s border agency Frontex. Berlusconi struck a similar note, calling on all member states to contribute to efforts to tackle the problem.  The two Prime Ministers also discussed energy issues, especially the progress made in the two major projects currently underway, the South Stream and the Turkish-Greek-Italian (ITGI) natural gas pipelines.  “The agreement signed just Wednesday, July 15, between Greece and Bulgaria for an offshoot of ITGI gives this project even greater importance,” said the Greek PM.

Greece: Energy Matters

Greece-Bulgaria-Romania agree on gas pipeline project

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)  An agreement has been signed by the Greek gas company DEPA and Italian Edison with Bulgarian Energy Holding for the construction of a pipeline that would allow Bulgaria to import 1 billion cubic meters of natural gas from the Caspian Sea region, through the ITGI (Interconnector Turkey-Greece-Italy) pipeline. The 160-km long pipeline, called Interconnector Greece-Bulgaria (IGB), will extend from Komotini, northern Greece to Stara Zagora, Bulgaria. Its construction is estimated to cost €120 million with €45 million provided by the EU.  Greece and Romania agreed yesterday during a meeting in Bucharest, between Romanian Economy Minister Adriean Videanu and Greek Development Minister Kostis Hatzidakis, to promote and coordinate gas connections between Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria and Greece.  “We want to treat the Greek-Bulgarian, Bulgarian-Romanian and Romanian-Hungarian pipelines as a single whole, as a single pipeline. Especially since all three separate pipelines are financed by the European Union,” Hatzidakis said adding that this project would enhance cooperation between the four countries and strengthen their geostrategic position.  Meanwhile, DESFA, Greece’s Natural Gas National System Manager, and Bulgarian Energy Holding (BEH) signed yesterday a memorandum of understanding aimed at allowing the transportation of natural gas from Greece to Bulgaria from the Revithousa LNG terminal. Kathimerini daily: Greece – Bulgaria pipeline to raise security, lower gas prices

Greece: Energy Plant to Boost Energy Plants

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)  A new unit at the Liquified Natural Gas Terminal at Revythousa – one of Greece’s most significant national infrastructures and one among the ten equivalent liquefied natural gas terminals operating today throughout the Mediterranean and Europe- was inaugurated yesterday (May 28) by the Hellenic Gas Transmission System Operator (DESFA) and the Ministry of Development.   The new unit has an output of 13 MW of electrical energy and 14 MW of thermal energy. It has the highest production rate in the country (90%), cutting 22,000 tones of carbon dioxide emissions. Twenty percent of the electrical energy produced is sold to the Public Power Corporation.  During the inauguration ceremony, Development Minister Kostis Hatzidakis announced government’s goal for another 85,000 Greek households to have access to the natural gas network by the end of the year, amounting to 250,000 households, and hopefully increasing that number to a total of one million citizens by the end of 2010.  Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Energy Affairs; Public Gas Corporation: Natural Gas

South Stream Pipeline Underway

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA) The agreement for the construction of the South Stream natural gas pipeline will be signed today (May 15) between Gazprom and all other participants in the project, in the Russian resort city of Sochi on the shores of the Black Sea, Greek Development Minister Costis Hatzidakis announced.    Hellenic Gas Transmission System Operator (DESFA), a subsidiary of the Greek Public Gas Corporation (DEPA), will be signing on behalf of Greece. The minister, who will also attend the signing ceremony, noted the particular importance placed on the South Stream agreement and Greece’s broader cooperation with Russia.   Greek News Agenda: Greece-Russia forge ties; Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Energy Affairs

Greece: Gas Pipeline Agreement Signed

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)  The agreement on the construction of a natural gas pipeline linking Greece with Bulgaria was signed on April 25 during an international energy conference in Sofia, Bulgaria, for Europe’s gas supplies security (Energy Summit 2009, Natural Gas for Europe, Security and Partnership). Addressing the event, Karamanlis spoke of Greece’s interest in a common European energy strategy, which will rely on environmentally friendly sources. He also stressed the importance for Greece to solidify and capitalise on its geostrategic position in South-eastern Europe regarding matters of energy supplies transport. Agreements such as the one with Bulgaria, bring Greece one step closer to its aim of adopting diversified energy solutions in terms of type, sources and routes of transport.

Greek Energy Diplomacy

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA) An agreement on the construction of a natural gas pipeline linking Greece with Bulgaria is expected to be signed today in the presence of the Prime Minister who is currently attending the Energy Summit 2009, an international summit for Europe’s gas supplies security currently hosted in Sofia Bulgaria (April 24-25). Greece lays emphasis on conveying energy supplies from the east to the markets of the west, following the dictum of diversification in terms of energy type, sources and channels of transport.

OSCE Chair at Munich Security Conference

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)    OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Greek Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis presided over a panel on “NATO, Russia, Oil, Gas and the Middle East: The future of European security,” at the main plenary session of the 45th Munich Security Conference, where she emphasized Greece’s willingness to move forward with the dialogue on European security issues. Europe faces common threats and security challenges, and the OSCE remains the forum for dialogue on security issues, she said. “There appears to be widespread consensus that, to say the least, we need to engage in a dialogue on security issues. It goes without saying that – provided that there is agreement by all 56 OSCE participating states – Greece stands ready to organise meetings at any level that could launch, or more generally facilitate, such a dialogue,” Bakoyannis noted. In her speech, she touched upon several points, including European security, common interests and common values – such as respecting human rights, democracy and the rule of law, observing territorial integrity, refraining from the threat or use of force – as well as the continuation of OSCE work in Georgia. Lastly, she underlined the considerable advantage of such meetings, namely that the participants have the possibility of “speaking far more openly than in ordinary forums.” Bakoyannis is in Tirana today as part of her Balkan countries’ tour, where she will be meeting with Albanian President Bamir Topi, Prime Minister Sali Berisha and her counterpart Lulzim Basha. Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Speech of FM Dora Bakoyannis at the 45th Munich Security Conference

Greece is Supplying Gas to Bulgaria

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)     Greece’s Public Gas Corporation met yesterday (19.1.2009) with a Bulgarian delegation in order to seal a deal for the distribution of approximately 2 million m3 per day of Greek liquefied natural gas (LNG) supplies to Bulgaria. Within the framework of EU’s Gas Coordination Group, the European Commission welcomed the bilateral cooperation and encouraged the use of the Greek LNG supplies by Bulgaria. The escalated energy crisis provoked by the interruption of natural gas supplies to Europe had urged the Bulgarian prime minister to confirm on January 13 the country’s high priority in intensifying energy cooperation with Greece.  European Commission-Energy: Gas Coordination Group: Solidarity works and the EU’s gas market adapts to challenges of gas crisis

Greece – Italy: Making Connections

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)   The public gas corporation DEPA has signed an agreement with Italy’s Edison for the construction of a €500 million underwater pipeline linking the two countries in one of Greece’s largest energy projects. The company that is to design, build and develop the 203 km pipeline will be called IGI Poseidon with equal stakes by the two companies. Setting up IGI Poseidon opens the door to supplying the large Western European markets with natural gas from the Caspian region. Kathimerini daily: Gas pipeline deal signed with Edison; Greek News Agenda: Greece – An Energy Hub; Invest in Greece: Energy Sector Powers Ahead; Secretariat General of Information: About Brand Greece- Energy Policy of Greece