Τζ. Payat: Alexandroupolis FSRU very important in the face of ‘Russian energy blackmail’

The importance of the FSRU, the floating storage and gasification station LNG, in Alexandroupolis, in the face of the “Russian energy blackmail”, after the developments in Ukraine, stressed the ambassador of the United States to Greece Jeffrey Payat, in an interview with Athiko. News on the sidelines of the 7th Delphi Economic Forum.

“As Europe now turns rapidly to reduce its vulnerability to Russian energy blackmail and escape Russian gas, the Alexandroupolis FSRU is becoming increasingly important,” the US ambassador said, explaining that now everyone is trying to create FSR. . “The Germans announced their first two FSRUs within a few days after February 24, Kopelouzos announced a second FSRU in Alexandroupolis, and we have heard of other teams working in Volos, Thessaloniki, Corinth,” he said. what we need to see now is “how much and what the market can support”.

The American ambassador does not hide his satisfaction for the foresight of projects such as the FSRU in Alexandroupolis in relation to the current situation in the energy sector due to the war in Ukraine and the attitude of Russia and emphasizes that “Greece was ahead in terms of recognition the need for both differentiation from Russian gas – this is the issue of the IGB and TAP, Revythousa and Alexandroupolis – as well as the energy transition “.

With the sun reminding of an early summer in Delphi on the day of the interview, the American ambassador does not fail to mention the many possibilities that, as he emphasizes, Greece has in solar (but also wind) energy. “The (Greek) Prime Minister has made it clear that this is a priority and the United States has also made it clear that we want to work with Europe to do both at the same time: to move away from Russian gas as quickly as possible, including “with additional US LNG, but also to speed up the energy transition. Because that’s the real answer,” Payat said emphatically.

Alexandroupolis is also the focus of Nuland contacts

Cooperation between the US and Greece “for the construction of Alexandroupolis as a key hub for military logistics (supply chain), energy and also for connectivity with the rest of the Western Balkans, Bulgaria and the Black Sea”, as stated by the ambassador of the United States, was at the center of the contacts that had, a few days ago, the American Undersecretary of State Victoria Nuland in Greece.

“Many of the projects you have seen since 2017 in Alexandroupolis look like we were fortune tellers and we could see the future in terms of how the US and our allies try to respond to the invasion of Ukraine and the geopolitical earthquake it produces. how the war will end, one thing is clear, that Russia will have an even more aggressive presence on the southern coast of Ukraine – that’s where the war is concentrated today with the failure of the Russian invasion of Kyiv. “Military logistics is crucial,” said Payat, noting that the fact that some of the military equipment that moved through the port of Alexandroupolis reached Poland proved that “this corridor works”.

Support for the accession perspective of the Western Balkans

The American ambassador underlines the “fantastic progress that Greece has made in terms of its relations with all the former Yugoslav republics, all the Western Balkans”.

In fact, he says, much of Nuland’s contacts in Greece were about how “we will continue to work together and ensure that all these countries continue to move towards EU membership and if they choose to join.” in NATO for those who are not yet members “.

A new era in US-EU relations

Undoubtedly, the war in Ukraine contributed to the further rapprochement of the United States with the European Union, with the American ambassador talking about “a new period of partnership” between the two sides, while when asked if this approach will last, the answer is yes. .

“It is no secret that there was some damage during the previous administration […] “Everything we did in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine gave priority to this coordination and cooperation with Europe,” he said, stressing and characterizing very strongly – for example – the image of Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias in Odessa. .

“We have coordinated our sanctions, we have coordinated our military response, we have coordinated our message to Vladimir Putin. Some of them have been unsuccessful in terms of messages, but no one can say today that we have made every effort. “to maintain the diplomatic option,” he notes.

“We have really demonstrated our commitment and I am sure this will not be just a flash. It will set the tone for the coming years,” he said.

“Ukrainians are passionately committed to their European future”

The war in Ukraine, according to the US ambassador to Greece, one thing he did was to give “energy to the NATO alliance as much as anything else like the fall of the Berlin Wall”, while he also showed the passion of the Ukrainians for their European future .

“For Ukrainians, if there was a debate earlier about where the strategic future lies, this debate is over. Everyone in the country is united in their view that they want to be part of the European Union. They want to be part of NATO or at least the European Union. “They do not want to have anything to do with the Russian, Eurasian world that Vladimir Putin is trying to propagate,” said Payat, adding that “Fantastic opportunity” for Europe to have this huge country with all its resources, all its relatively young people, all its agricultural potential. “All this is a huge positive for Europe and the European venture,” he said.

He praises the attitude of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and the government on this issue.

Jeffrey Payat, who is leaving Greece in less than a month as the longest-serving American ambassador in history, does not fail to mention, once again, the beauties of the country and does not hide his satisfaction for the team he leaves behind. but also for the significant progress of the Greek-American relations all these years, with a series of initiatives, such as the Strategic Dialogue, the 3 + 1 initiative, the new enlarged defense agreement between the two sides, the investments but also the ties between the people. .