By Giorgos S. Bourdaras
The government's decision-making centers have recently mobilized to exploit the advantages that could be gained from a new «energy diplomacy,» since Greece has become part of the hub of a complex energy network (petroleum - natural gas - electricity) that serves major powers' geostrategic interests. Developments in this area are connected, directly or otherwise, with issues that have been the focus of foreign policy for many years - of which Greek-Turkish and Greek-US relations, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, the Cyprus issue and the Middle East are only a few.
At present, the most well-known part of this energy network in Greece is the Burgas-Alexandroupolis pipeline, purely because it has been the subject of discussion for a number of years. The tragedy is that it might never be built, since it is not a priority for the powers that be in the West.
Marika Karayianni, a lawyer and doctoral candidate at Panteion University, who has deep knowledge of the issue, spoke to Kathimerini about the effect the construction of the pipeline network is having on the broader region.
«The much-talked about and very costly petroleum pipeline from Baku to Tbilisi and Ceyhan is now a reality. Already petroleum is being channeled from Baku, although the pipeline won't begin to pay for itself until 2010, since the excavation of Baku harbor is a time-consuming process,» explained Karayianni. «That pipeline serves many purposes. It is not only that Russia is out of the picture for the very first time, as other pipelines are to follow that will do that, but the fact that Turkey becomes part of the east-west axis as well as the north-south axis. It is no coincidence that Turkey has been systematically promoting the Samsun-Ceyhan pipeline, as well as contracts to exploit the deposits in Turkish waters in the Black Sea. All the petroleum is to end up in Ceyhan, which is to become the 'Rotterdam of the Mediterranean.'»
The goal is both geopolitical and economic - an increase in profits from the transportation and the construction of a major shipping and financial center, as well as strategic control of the eastern Mediterranean. This is of interest to Greece due to the port's proximity to Cyprus. The Turks appear to have realized that the US not only accepts but actively supports the idea of a Kurdish state and are trying to secure their geostrategic interests, according to Karayianni.
«That explains the collaboration between Turkey and Israel in the energy sector and the speedy promotion of another large and excessively costly pipeline, the Eilat-Ashkelon in Israel, which will also channel petroleum arriving from Ceyhan,» she said. «On the east-west axis, the US is strongly supporting the construction of the Burgas-Vlore pipeline through Bulgaria, FYROM and Albania, which they have incorporated into the general package of solutions for Kosovo. America's Albanian lobby is particularly active in this direction, since the pipeline will link Kosovo with neighboring Albania and it is believed that it will be a way for the Albanian and Kosovo arms and drug cartels to launder money.»
Things are simpler with regard to natural gas, a fuel that is more environmentally friendly (and more favorable to Greek interests).
«Already there are many channels for bringing natural gas from east to west, mostly from Russia, which has the world's largest deposits of natural gas,» said Karayianni.
The other channels are:
- From the northern deposits in western Siberia to Germany, on the basis of a special energy accord between the European Union and Russia for the construction of a natural gas pipeline.
- From Russia to the Balkans via the Inter-Balkan Pipeline.
- From Russia, by means of the Moscow-Ankara strategic agreement, to Turkey via the Blue Stream pipeline being built by Italy's ENEL.
- In the south of Europe, the Azerbaijan-Georgia-Turkey-Greece-Italy pipeline; the main line passes through Baku-Tbilisi and Erzurum via the Erzurum-Ankara-Karacabey link and is linked with the Greek-Turkish line from Karacabey to Komotini.
- The underwater pipeline between Italy and Greece, which will comprise the extension of the Greek-Turkish pipeline and supply Italy and from there Central Europe with natural gas.
These pipelines have the political and economic support of the US since they are part of the US's strategic planning for the political and economic independence of the former Soviet states in the Caucasus from neighboring Russia.
Another very important issue is the establishment of new links as well as the upgrade of existing ones between Greece's electricity grid and that of neighboring countries by setting up a unified electrical energy market in Southeastern Europe.
(Kathimerini)