CYPRUS: Energy, Turkey top visiting Greek PM’s agenda

Regional energy cooperation and Turkey’s continued provocations are at the top of the agenda of meetings between newly-elected Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis with Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades.

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During his two-day official visit, heading a large delegation of senior government officials from Athens, Mitsotakis will be meeting with House President Demetris Syllouris, the leaders of all political parties and Archbishop Chrysostomos, as well as representatives of community organisations from Greece and local NGOs, including bicommunal ventures. He will also visit the Eldyk Greek army contingent.

In earlier statements, Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias said that the Greek Prime’s visit will send a clear message to Turkey that the violation of the sovereign rights of the Republic of Cyprus is unacceptable.

Dendias was referring to Turkey’s illegal exploration and drilling attempts within the island’s offshore exclusive economic zone (EEZ), at the same that that giants ExxonMobil, French Total and Italy’s Eni are also exploring for natural gas and crude within their licensed blocs off the coast of Cyprus.

Accompanying Mitsotakis is Energy and Environment Minister Kostis Hatzidakis who is meeting with his Cypriot counterpart Giorgos Lakkotropypis to iron out a common strategy and some differences as regards the strategy on oil and gas cooperation, trilateral cooperation with neighbouring Israel and Egypt to include the US Secretary for Energy.

An issue that needs to be resolved is the EuroAsia Interconnector, the European project of common interest (PCI) connecting Israel, Cyprus and Greece that the previous Syriza government tried to sabotage by promoting its own preferred contractor for the Attica-Crete link of the entire cable system, that will take Cyprus out of its energy isolation as the last electrically non-interconnected EU member state.