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Anastasia Balezdrova

In mid-September, the drilling machine of the American company Noble Energy started working in field 12 in the exclusive economic zone of Cyprus. Two months later, the company announced that the deposits found are between 3 and 9 trillion cubic feet, i.e. less than the expected 10, but big enough.

Cyprus' energy future and how it would affect the political issues on the island were at the core of the debate involving politicians from the island country and Greece, which took place in "House of Cyprus" in Athens.

Cyprus Minister of Interior Neoklis Silikiotis stressed that the government has set a strategic goal to make Cyprus a regional power centre. "We are continuing with the strategic plan for the opening, drilling, developing of the necessary infrastructure and facilities for the liquefaction of natural gas and its use." The Minister announced that in the coming weeks, the Cypriot government would proceed to the second stage of issuing permits for the drilling of the remaining 13 sites of the Cyprus Exclusive Economic Zone, following the legal framework and the procedures of the experience with field 12.

The Minister of Defence of Cyprus Dimitris Ioannidis spoke about Cyprus’ determination to exercise its sovereign rights for the use of the Exclusive Economic Zone, following the United Nations agreement on the Law of the Sea. He stressed that it was for this reason that Cyprus is gaining the full consent and support of international and European organizations. "It seems that there are significant reserves of natural gas in the Exclusive Economic Zone of ​​Cyprus. The discovery of similar deposits in the Israel area opens new opportunities not only for Cyprus but for the Eastern Mediterranean and Europe."

The Minister referred to Turkey’s threats against Cyprus before the start of drilling in August. "We meet the Turkish challenges head on. We invite it to cooperate essentially with us to solve the Cyprus issue." Both representatives of the Cypriot government stressed that the Greek and Turkish Cypriots will use within a uniform state the natural resources found in the Exclusive Economic Zone.

The recent Greek Minister of Defence Panos Beglitis expressed his belief, "Cypriot energy resources will become one of the most important factors that will determine the geopolitical reality in the coming decades internationally." He analyzed the current political situation in the area of ​​the Middle East and Eastern Mediterranean after the "Arab Spring".

"The processes in these countries are not yet finalized, but it seems that the new governments, whenever elected, will not be as friendly to Israe, as were previous ones. The only countries that remained stable and therefore, are the drivers of consolidation of the West's strategy in the region are Greece and Cyprus." Panos Beglitis stressed that this situation "further reinforces the importance of the announcement of the Greek Exclusive Economic Zone around the island of Kastelorizo and in the sea area between the islands of Crete, Rhodes and Karpathos." According to the former minister, it is of particular importance to the strategy of Israel, because the common area between the country and Cyprus needs, even symbolically, a corridor that will provide access to the central part of the Mediterranean and from there, to the rest of the world. He also stressed the role of the United States. "Today, for the first time the foundations are laid for building a new framework for strategic relations of Greece and Cyprus with the United States. They will not be based on emotion and opportunistic political affiliation, but on a stable geopolitical reality and common interests." In conclusion, he said that the presence of deposits of natural gas will increase the international prestige of Cyprus and the attempts  for a fair solution to the Cyprus issue.

In his presentation, the deputy and former Minister of Development in the last government of New Democracy Kostis Hadzikakis said that alliances between countries are not eternal and gave the example of the until recently friendly relations between Turkey and Israel. "Until a few years ago, they held joint military training and today, their relations are very bad," he said and warned that "the way of Greek-Turkish relations is difficult, but peace and cooperation are the only option."

"To achieve this, we need to find a fair and sustainable solution to the Cyprus issue and a resolution of the dispute between Athens and Ankara on the shelf in the Aegean Sea on the basis of international law." According to Kostis Hadzidakis, the process for resolving the political problem in Cyprus is at a standstill after the rejection of the plan of former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan by the Cypriot Greeks. "The aggressiveness of Turkey to Greece and Cyprus was one of the factors that disappointed Europe. At one point, the actions of Ankara had created a feeling that it was not Turkey that wanted to join the European Union, but the European Union that wanted to join Turkey."

The deputy stressed that if other sites in Cyprus' Exclusive Economic Zone prove to be as rich in natural gas as field 12 named Aphrodite, then "we will have a completely different situation in economic and energy terms that would allow Cyprus to export natural gas and will change the energy map of the region." Kostis Hadzidakis stressed the importance of building a natural gas liquefying plant. "The talks on the Greek-Bulgarian pipeline must move forward without delay as it will create an energy connection between Greece, Bulgaria, Romania and Hungary," he said and in conclusion stated the need to strengthen the efforts to detect natural gas in Greece.
 
Deputy Minister of Energy of Greece Yiannis Maniatis stressed that the success of Cyprus is due to the consistent policy of successive governments. "So far, all oil and gas pipelines from East to West passed through Turkey. For the first time in 30 years it is possible to make a path of energy resources, without passing through this country," he said.

As for drilling in Greece, Yiannis Maniatis said that research is already underway in the Ionian Sea and the area south of Crete and stressed that the official map is the first in which the boundaries of the explored area in ​​practice are within the Exclusive Economic zone with Albania, Italy and Libya. The Deputy Minister said that later in January, the Greek government will announce an open competition for research in three terrains: the gulf of Patras, the bay of Katakolo and the region of Ioannina.