Greece holds key role in European energy highway, PM Antonis Samaras says

Greece "sits" on top of the major highways supplying all of Europe in oil, and all of southern Europe in natural gas, Prime Minister Antonis Samaras pointed out at opening remarks on Monday, at the International Herald Tribune's Athens Energy Forum 2013.

"Especially in Europe, where energy consumption is high yet energy self-sufficiency is low, any member-state contributing to diversifying energy sources and to the discovery of new sources, increasing the self-sufficiency of all of Europe, upgrades itself and strengthens Europe overall," Samaras said.

The basic geopolitical dimension of energy is security, Samaras noted, mentioning "security in supply, in other words, diversifying sources, and security in the transport of energy resources."

Greece is well positioned to produce and export Greek resources, he said, making special mention of the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), a project starting from Greece and transporting natural gas to Italy and the hydrocarbon exploration in the Aegean. It could also guarantee the transport of energy resources by Greece's merchant marine, the largest in the world.

Shortly before going on an official visit to Turkey, Samaras said that both sides had expressed a wish to resolve their differences over hydrocarbon exploration in the Aegean Sea amicably. "The best way to resolve an issue is by respect of international maritime law," Samaras said, noting that both countries had made verbal demarches to the United Nations. "There is, however, a difference," the premier noted, "in that we are calling on the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and have ratified it, whereas Turkey is calling on it but has not signed it."