Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras revealed that Greece and ExxonMobil will sign an agreement for gas exploration South and West off the island of Crete. The agreement will be signed next week, Tsipras said during a press conference after the European Council Summit in Brussels on Friday.
Greece is proceeding to exploit its own Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), as does Cyprus in its own EEZ, the Greek Prime Minister said. He noted that this has been not a last minute decision but a long-term planning.
“The crucial issues for the exploitation of our energy wealth, for the exploitation of our sovereign rights, all these are the results of a years-old foreign policy plan that bear fruits and we are now able to taste the fruits,” Tsipras said.
“We will continue with a plan that is well thought and has to do with both the upgrading of Greece’s international role in the wider region and the decisive use of our energy wealth. This will not stop us and we can continue with great determination to ask our neighbors to comply with international law,” Tsipras added with a hint to Turkey.
The Greek Prime Minister did not reveal more details on the agreement with Exxon Mobil.
Greek media wrote over the weekend that the agreement will be signed on Thursday, June 27.
Negotiations with the US energy giant ExxonMobil have been in progress for months. At the Delphi Forum in March, company executives and the US ambassador to Athens, Geoffrey Pyatt had urged the government to complete the bureaucratic hurdles and proceed with the exploration.
Let’s drill the h-ll out of the eastern Mediterranean just so big oil and a couple of CEO’s can make a few more bucks. Say bye-bye to the nice clean beaches of Greece, Cyprus and Turkey. Get ready for the first big spill. It’s going to be exciting!