ΗΠΑ προς Ελλάδα: "Μην γίνετε μέρος του προβλήματος με τον ρωσικό αγωγό"
04.06.2015 | 07:53
US discourages Greece from Turkish Stream
Amos Hochstein [State Department]
The
United States wants Greece to focus on the Western-backed TAP pipeline
project rather than the rival Gazprom-favoured project Turkish Stream, a
US special envoy said.
Amos Hochstein, the US Special Envoy for Energy Affairs, told the New York Times on 8 May that his country was backing Greece to build the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) that is set to bring gas from Azerbaijan by crossing through Turkey, Greece, Albania and under the Adriatic Sea to Italy.
The TAP project (see background) is a well-advanced project compared to Turkish Stream, the concept of which was launched only last December, when Russian President Vladimir Putin made it clear he was abandoning the idea of South Stream, a Gazprom-favoured gas pipeline project intended to bring Russian gas under the Black Sea to Bulgaria, Serbia, Hungary and Austria.
Instead, Turkish Stream will bring Russian gas to the European territory of Turkey, and then to the Greek border. From there, another Gazprom-financed planned pipeline tentatively called Tesla would move gas further across the territory of Greece to Macedonia, Serbia, Hungary and Austria.
Greece likes the concept of the pipeline, but not its name.
>> Read: Tsipras: ‘Turkish Stream’ will have another name on Greek territory
Gazprom has announced that the laying of pipes under the Black Sea is about to begin and that the first gas via the new pipe will reach Turkey in December 2016. Reportedly, the Italian company Saipem would be put in charge of laying the pipes offshore.
Hochstein, who spoke to the press after meeting with Greek Energy Minister Panagiotis Lafazanis, stressed that while Russia was a major gas supplier for Europe, it was important for Greece and Europe to ensure diverse suppliers.
The government in Greece however sees both TAP and Turkish Stream as projects benefitting the diversification of energy supply, hoping that those projects will help the country to become a major international gas hub. The government in Athens also believes that the building Tesla would only benefit the economy.
Amos Hochstein, the US Special Envoy for Energy Affairs, told the New York Times on 8 May that his country was backing Greece to build the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) that is set to bring gas from Azerbaijan by crossing through Turkey, Greece, Albania and under the Adriatic Sea to Italy.
The TAP project (see background) is a well-advanced project compared to Turkish Stream, the concept of which was launched only last December, when Russian President Vladimir Putin made it clear he was abandoning the idea of South Stream, a Gazprom-favoured gas pipeline project intended to bring Russian gas under the Black Sea to Bulgaria, Serbia, Hungary and Austria.
Instead, Turkish Stream will bring Russian gas to the European territory of Turkey, and then to the Greek border. From there, another Gazprom-financed planned pipeline tentatively called Tesla would move gas further across the territory of Greece to Macedonia, Serbia, Hungary and Austria.
Greece likes the concept of the pipeline, but not its name.
>> Read: Tsipras: ‘Turkish Stream’ will have another name on Greek territory
Gazprom has announced that the laying of pipes under the Black Sea is about to begin and that the first gas via the new pipe will reach Turkey in December 2016. Reportedly, the Italian company Saipem would be put in charge of laying the pipes offshore.
Hochstein, who spoke to the press after meeting with Greek Energy Minister Panagiotis Lafazanis, stressed that while Russia was a major gas supplier for Europe, it was important for Greece and Europe to ensure diverse suppliers.
"Diversification
is ultimately the best way to create security of supply," he said. "And
that means that you should be allowed to bring in other sources of gas
that are non-Russian, just to have competition."
That would also reduce the chances of energy being used for political leverage, he said.
The
Azeri gas project "fulfills that trifecta of what is energy security:
new source, new supply, new route," Hochstein said. "And it's not a
single country that is dominating the infrastructure and the gas
production, it's many companies, different consortiums, different
countries [...] no one element can bring it down or use it as leverage,"
Hochstein reportedly said.
In another interview, Hochstein was quoted as saying that "Turkish
Stream doesn't exist”. “There is no consortium to build it, there is no
agreement to build it. So let's put that to the side, and wait until
there's some movement on that and see if that's relevant or not relevant
and in the meantime focus on what's important - the pipeline we already
agreed to, that Greece already agreed to," he was quoted as saying.The government in Greece however sees both TAP and Turkish Stream as projects benefitting the diversification of energy supply, hoping that those projects will help the country to become a major international gas hub. The government in Athens also believes that the building Tesla would only benefit the economy.
External links:
External links:
Governments:- US Department of State: Telephonic press briefing with European journalists
- US Department of State: Special Envoy, Bureau of Energy Resources
Press articles:
- The New York Times: US encourages Greece to stick to non-Russian pipeline
- Dnevnik, the EurActiv partner in Bulgaria: САЩ призоваха Гърция да се откаже от "Турски поток"
- Energy Global: USA tells Greece to stay with TAP project
- The Moscow Times: US to Greece: Resist Russia’s gas pipeline
- Novinite, Bulgaria: US ‘acting against Gazprom moves in Greece
Ο νέος αγωγός που σχεδιάζουν οι Ρώσοι ,περιλαμβάνει και την Ελλάδα κι αυτό δεν αρέσει στις ΗΠΑ.
Ο συντονιστής του υπουργείου Εξωτερικών των ΗΠΑ για τις διεθνείς ενεργειακές υποθέσεις Αμος Χόχσταϊν προειδοποίησε ότι αν προχωρήσει ο τουρκικός αγωγός που θα μεταφέρει ρωσικό αέριο στην Ευρώπη, η Ελλάδα θα γίνει μέρος του προβλήματος αντί της λύσης.
Η προειδοποίηση ήρθε από το βήμα του 31ου συνεδριου της πανκυπριακής οργάνωσης ΠΣΕΚΑ.
Ο κ. Χοχσταϊν ζήτησε τη βοήθεια της κυπριακής ομογένειας ώστε να μην προωθηθεί ο τουρκικός αγωγός, καθώς εκτίμησε ότι αυτός θα ακυρώσει όλα τα εναλλακτικά σχέδια αυξάνοντας την εξάρτηση από τη Ρωσία.
Αναφερόμενος στην Ελλάδα είπε ότι « είναι ισχυρός εταίρος και σύμμαχος των ΗΠΑ και περνά δύσκολα τελευταία. Αλλα χρειάζομαι τη βοήθειά σας, διότι αυτό που αντιμετωπίζουμε τώρα είναι κάτι που ελπίζω ότι η Κύπρος θα γίνει τελικά μέρος της λύσης του: μία ενεργειακή κρίση στην Ευρώπη…Η Κεντρική και Ανατολική Ευρώπη παίρνουν το φυσικό τους αέριο από μόνο έναν προμηθευτή. Εχουμε μία ευκαιρία να γίνει διαφοροποίηση και η Ελλάδα είναι μείζων παίκτης», είπε αναφερόμενος στον αγωγό TAP που θα μεταφέρει φυσικό αέριο από το Αζερμπαϊτζάν μέσω της Τουρκίας και της Ελλάδας στην Ιταλία και τη Βουλγαρία».
Ο κ. Χόσταϊν άφησε αιχμές για όσους προωθούν εναλλακτικά σχέδια που αυξάνουν την εξάρτηση από τη Ρωσία. Σύμφωνα με τον ίδιο, «και η προηγούμενη αλλά και αυτή η κυβέρνηση έχουν εκφράσει υποστήριξη για το Νότιο Διάδρομο και το διακαμπτήριο στη Βουλγαρία. Αλλά υπάρχουν αυτοί που θέλουν να τους αλλάξουν, και μιλούν για τη χρησιμοποίηση της Ελλάδας ως μηχανισμό που θα φέρει αγωγούς από τον ίδιο προμηθευτή μέσω της Ελλάδας μαζικά για την προμήθεια της υπόλοιπης Ευρώπης. Αυτό σημαίνει ότι όταν χτιστεί ένας νέος αγωγός, αυτός δεν θα είναι αναστρέψιμος και θα καταστήσει όλα τα άλλα σχέδια μη βιώσιμα. Αυτό σημαίνει ότι η Ελλάδα από μέρος της λύσης θα γίνει μέρος του προβλήματος».
Ο κ.Χοχστάϊν είπε ότι όλα αυτά τα είπε και στην ελληνική κυβέρνηση .