Greek PM strenghtens ties with Iran

As said many times before (since at least 2013) during the Greek financial crisis, which is still ongoing, do not count them out. They are too important economically for Europe and the EU. They have the ability to become an energy hub and gateway for exchanges between oil exporting countries and Europe. Lo and behold, it’s now taking root in 2016. We’re almost there.

 

Greece and Iran pledged on Monday (8 February) to strengthen the political and economic cooperation between their two countries in a series of meetings where Iran’s geopolitical importance was emphasised.

During a two-day visit to Ispahan and Tehran with business leaders, Greek prime minister Alexis Tsipras said Greece wanted to become “an energy, economic and trade bridge between Iran and European Union”. He was the first EU leader to go to Iran since the lifting of UN sanctions last month.

Greece to Become Major European Oil Hub – Hellenic Petroleum CEO

If you’ve been following Global Geopolitics for a while, or as recent as yesterday (see also HERE), you’re not shocked in the least bit.

 

CEO of the country’s largest oil company Hellenic Petroleum, Grigoris Stergioulis said that many nations, including Russia and Arab countries, want to use Greece as a hub, and “we are trying very hard to establish kind of cooperation and to gain some time that was lost in the past.”

ST. PETERSBURG (Sputnik), Anna Liatsou — Greece could become a major hub for distribution of oil resources in Europe, the CEO of the country’s largest oil company Hellenic Petroleum told Sputnik Thursday.

Early elections in Greece: ‘On Tuesdays the euro, on Fridays the drachma’

Worst possible case scenario is that Greece will exit the Euro, but stay in the EU. Greece still holds too much significance for the German-dominated bloc as it will be a main energy hub along with Cyprus as a means of ending dependence on Russia.

 

 

Less than three weeks from general elections in Greece, Der Spiegel wonders about the intentions of Alexis Tsipras, the leader of the left-wing Syriza party and frontrunner in the campaign to form the next government. The German magazine sees mixed messages that leave observers across Europe “at times anxious and at others baffled” —

The Role of Greece in the Geostrategic Chessboard of Natural Gas

As earlier described, don’t count Greece out of the picture, as they are much too critical for the German dominated EU to lose. Germany needs energy independence from Russia and needs to keep the EU in tact as a whole, otherwise a broken up European continent would not provide the solidarity needed to stand up to the Soviets.  Without one, or both, Germany would otherwise remain a stagnant useless nation plagued with external and internal security issues. Greece will become a major, if not the major, energy transit hub for all of Europe. China also once hailed Greece as the “gateway to Europe”.

 

Amid the hard times Greece is going through, the assertion that it is turning into an important regional player in the natural gas scene is not an exaggeration. Its geostrategic location on the map offers a number of advantages, which can translate to an economic competitive advantage, as well as to an upgrade of its geopolitical role in South-East Europe.

Firstly, Greece’s role in the international chessboard of pipelines becomes critical. The selection of the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) as the avenue for EU’s Southern Energy Corridor, as well as the pending project for the Greece-Italy Poseidon (IGI) pipeline with the participation of DEPA, is decisive; not only will it support local economies during the construction phase, but also ‘locks’ this particular route through Greece as the main entrance hub of Azeri gas to Europe.

Huge Natural Gas Fields In The Eastern Mediterranean are Set To Transform Cyprus Into European Energy Hub

News sources are now picking up on what was mentioned here long ago. This will be used a main provider of energy to Europe, which will be more stable than supplies from Russia, who has turned off the switch in political ploys. Due to this fact, don’t count Greece or Cyprus out of the EU membership list as they will both have an important role in the Europe’s future.

Cyprus plans to become a regional hub in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea for the export of liquefied natural gas as the small island and its neighbors sit on huge offshore reserves, Cypriot officials say.

The nation’s aspirations are driven by recent discoveries in the Levant Basin, a stretch of sea that extends from the coasts of Israel, Lebanon and Syria and is estimated to contain 122 trillion cubic feet of gas. 1 trillion cubic feet of natural gas is enough to meet the needs of 5 million households for 15 years, according to the American Gas Association.