“Greece-US relations today are at a historically high level. They are closer and more stable than ever. They are based on mutual respect”, stressed the Minister of Environment and Energy Stavros Papastavrou, responding to a topical question by Plefsi Eleftherias MP Alexandros Kazamias regarding the “Wall Street Journal article about alleged interventions by the US ambassador in the energy sector”.
The minister underlined that “I want to be absolutely precise and clear. No request was ever made, of pressure or threat against our country to proceed with any action, nor of course could anything like that be tolerated. Our decisions, as you know, are made with only the national interest and the benefit of Greek citizens in mind”.
Mr. Papastavrou pointed out that “the relationship between Greece and the US today is at a historically high level. It is closer and more stable than ever. It is based on mutual respect and the enduring bonds between our two peoples”.
Especially regarding the energy sector, the minister said that “our cooperation with the US is constantly expanding, with mutual benefit for our citizens”.
He recalled that last year the US Secretary of the Interior and head of the National Energy Dominance Council, Doug Burgum, came to our country as one of the first European countries he visited and described it as a strategic energy partner of the US.
“Last week”, Mr. Papastavrou said “I met with Secretary of Energy Chris Wright, on the sidelines of the proceedings of the UN General Assembly, and we discussed the significant developments in our country in the hydrocarbons sector”.
He noted that the two largest US energy companies, Chevron and ExxonMobil, are investing in our country.
Specifically, Chevron is planning seismic surveys within 2026 in the Ionian, south of the Peloponnese and south of Crete, while ExxonMobil, in cooperation with Energean and HELLENIQ ENERGY, is proceeding with the first exploratory drilling after 50 years in the Ionian in early 2027, in order to determine whether there are commercially exploitable deposits.
And, most importantly, these surveys are being carried out in cooperation with Greek engineers and geoscientists, which constitutes a double vote of confidence in our country.
At the same time, PPC and Amazon signed a memorandum of cooperation a few days ago for the creation of a large data center in Western Macedonia, a fact that highlights the multi-level cooperation between companies of the two countries.
“And these are concrete results of a strategic relationship in the energy sector, which is being strengthened daily, with mutual benefit for both countries”.
Addressing the Plefsi Eleftherias MP, the minister noted that “we do not propagandize the achievements of the Ministry of Environment and Energy” as he said, but it should be understood that “the development of the hydrocarbons sector is a national matter. Progress amid an energy storm secures us energetically and allows us to have a new geostrategic role in the region”.
Regarding what is mentioned in publications, Mr. Papastavrou clarified that “my responsibility as minister is not to comment on publications. My responsibility—as well as that of every member of the government—is to safeguard the national interest. That is what I did, that is what I do, and that is what I will do”.
Mr. Papastavrou, regarding the depth of the development of relations with the US, characteristically stated that he has already met 7 times in the last 12 months with the US Secretary of Energy, Chris Wright, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio is also expected in our country soon. And this shows how close the energy cooperation is.
In addition, he added, among other things, that “we are expanding our relationship with the US, within the framework of the 3+1 initiative. We have already held two meetings with my counterparts from the US, Cyprus and Israel, and in June we signed in Houston the declaration for the establishment of the Eastern Mediterranean Energy Center, following the law that had been introduced by current Secretary of State Mr. Rubio.
This Center will constitute a stable point for research and development of energy security and cooperation in the Eastern Mediterranean. Therefore, within such a framework of close cooperation, such threatening content could not exist”, while regarding the references by the Plefsi Eleftherias MP to preferential corporate relationships, he clarified that “the Government strictly observes the rules of competition and transparency, as defined by our national law, fully aligned with the legislation of the European Union”.
Plefsi Eleftherias MP Alexandros Kazamias, for his part, during his initial speech stated that the alleged threats by the US ambassador in publications concerning interference in the internal politics of the country that could destabilize the government “could very seriously harm the developments in our country”.
These Wall Street Journal publications, Mr. Kazamias observed, are involved in the political crisis in Romania but have also caused reactions from members of the House of Representatives in the US.
This is, the MP said, “an issue that we should address with extreme seriousness” and he also assigned responsibility to the country's media for not highlighting it.
Mr. Kazamias said that “according to the Wall Street Journal article, the American ambassador Kimberly Guilfoyle is said to have stated at a lunch at which you were also present that she was going to Romania—which indeed happened at the end of March—telling you that the US may bring down the government of Romania. Something they may also do in our country”.
The newspaper’s report, Mr. Kazamias added, “states that you replied to her that the government is supported by the people. Afterwards, however, government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis and ND secretary Konstantinos Kyranakis denied this information; however, today we also have new publications from the Wall Street Journal that persist and highlight new aspects of the issue. So what ultimately happened at this dinner, did this exchange take place and did you give this answer?”.
The Plefsi Eleftherias MP also asked the minister to answer whether Ms. Guilfoyle is providing favor to a lobbyist of an energy company in Greece.
Mr. Kazamias, also during his secondary speech, argued that the minister should answer “clearly with transparency and sincerity whether this dialogue with the American ambassador took place, because these issues concern the heart of the country’s national sovereignty” and not “for there to be a conspiracy of silence that we are seeing”.
SOURCE: ANA-MPA