Energy EU Commissioner Oettinger to EuroFora: Cyprus Gas search +Ship Transport =big Chance for Area

*Strasbourg/EU Parliament/Angelo Marcopolo/- EU Energy Commissioner Günther Oettinger  from Germany, speaking today to "EuroFora", strongly supported Cyprus' Oil/Gas Exploration, as well as Ship Transport prospects towards the EU, etc.,  as a "big Chance for the whole Region", and, therefore, supported the EU Member Country's current intention to advance forward with a second and larger licencing round in a wider and more interesting part of its territorial waters, while also expressing the "hope" that Turkey will stop its illegal opposition and agree to behave in accordance with the international law of the sea.

- Questioned by "EuroFora" if he thinks, "as a matter of general principle", that Cyprus should go on, or not, with its intention to launch soon a new round of licencing for Oil/Gas exploration in its exclusive economic zone (already fixed by bilateral agreements and negotiations with Egypt, Israel, ! Lebanon and Syria), despite pressure, harassment and even threats by Turkey against that", the competent EU Commissioner for Energy, who comes also from a big industrial EU Country as Germany, which notoriously leads EU Military Ships' mission for Monitoring of nearby Lebanon's SeaCoasts, based in Cyprus since 2006, immediately replied, without any hesitation, positively, with a crystal-clear : - "Yes !".

+ "EuroFora" also observed, in our questions to Oettinger, on this same occasion, the relevant, and closely related fact, that Cyprus, (which notoriously shares together with another EU Member, Greece, the privilege to have one of the most important Merchand Fleets in the World), aims to help Transport in future LNG from a Liquefaction plant due to be built in the island, towards all big Industrial EU Countries through a Mediterranean "Sea Highway", (among those supported by EU's Transeuropean Energy Transport Networks, since the latest Plan adopted by Spanish former EU Commissioner on Transports Loyola de Palacio).

=> - "I think that all this is a Big, unique Chance, for the whole, south-eastern Mediterranean Region, for the overall area !", stressed in reply to "EuroFora"s Questions (comp. supra) the competent, EU Energy Commissioner.

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    Significantly, Oettinger's exchange with "EuroFora" came shortly after an exceptional visit by new Cyprus' Foreign Minister Erato Kosacou-Marcoulis to Strasbourg, where she met with EU Parliament's political Group Leaders and several MEPs, as well as with CoE's Secretary General Thornbjorn Jagland, from Norway, (a country with a notorious experience on Off Shore Oil/Gas exploration/exploitation), and just one Day before MEPs debate and vote on EU's Maritime policy, together with EU Commissioner Maria Damanaki and EU Parliament's Raapporteur Georges Kumutsakos, both  from Greece, on Thursday.

    Among the various Political and Institutional issues discussed by the Cypriot Foreign Minister in Strasbourg with her EU interlocutors, in addition to the Future, July-December 2012 EU Council rotating Chair by Cyprus, an important part was taken, precisely, in order to confirm EU Member Country Cyprus' legitimate Right, under the International Law of the Sea, etc., and political Willingness to resolutely advance on the Next Stage for Oil-Gas exploration licencing round asap., despite Turkey's systematic pressure, Harassment and Threats attempting to Block Autonomous EU moves on Energy findings even in that area, at the EU Island's Southern Coasts.

      Minister Kosacou-Marcoulis, a long-time career Diplomat and Foreign Ministry Top Official, who had served for many years also at Washington DC vis a vis the USA, said later that she denounced, in all her meetings, (including with EU Parliament's Rapporteur on Turkey, Dutch MEP Ria Oomens-Ruijten and the Foreign Affairs Committee's President Gabriele Albertini from Italy, etc),  the provocative actions of Turkey vis a vis the Exploration drillings made by Cyprus inside its Exclusive Economic Zone, and stressed that the Republic of Cyprus uses its Sovereign Rights, according to the International Treaty on the Law of the Sea, observing that Turkey hasn't any right to threaten other Countries, evenmore EU Members, with the presence of Military Ships and will illegal Seismic Research that Ankara pushes inside Cyprus' EEZ. If considerable Gas fields are confirmed inside Cyprus' EEZ, this will benefit all Cypriots, Greek and Turkish Cypriots, and will be particularly Positive also for EU's own Energy security.

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+ Another, topically related issue, is that LNG Sea Transport logically includes also a Liquefaction Plant, that several Corporations and neighbouring Countries reportedly would like to have soon established in Cyprus.

    This is not only the obviously most Practical solution, given the island's Central Geographic Location between Israel, Lebanon, Egypt, as well as its own exclusive zone, but also the most coherent with EU's policy in favor of helping Investments on Sea Transport, Liquefaction and Degazeification throughout Europe, according to a landmark Resolution adopted on 2009 by EU Parliament in Strasbourg, since Cyprus is the only EU Member Country in that region.

    However, Cyprus' Government is currently criticized by many Media, Politicians and Experts, etc. for delaying to open its cards fast enough on its intentions concerning this complementary matter of big Strategic importance, reportedly because it wants to "advance carefully", taking into account all relevant parameters, including on the control of a possible Liquefaction Plant, its capacity to cover also all other similar needs in Cyprus' excusive zone and, perhaps, in the wider, neighbouring area, "Security" and/or Political issues, etc., including the right choice among a probably growing number of interested Ol-Gas companies, even if the current, pioneer consortium of Texas (U.S.A) company "Noble Energy" joined by the Israeli "Delek" currently holds a lead, starting already by its initial findings at the Block No 12, as well as at friendly Neighbouring Countries' Sea-Coasts.

    But the next Blocks of Cyprus' EEZ, particularly those which are closer to the Seamount "Eratosthenes" and/or to the island's Coasts, are probably also the most interesting for even bigger Natural Resources' findings, as various converging Facts, since at least a landmark Geo-physics European Conference in Strasbourg on 2002, largely confirmed on 2005 also from USA mega-findings at the Gulf of Mexico, which has a similar Geologic formation, as well as by several other recent discoveries, elsewhere, clearly indicate...