Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Kostas Fragogiannis, met privately with the Department of State Bureau of Energy Resources’ Deputy Assistant Secretary for Energy Diplomacy, Mr. Kurt Donnelly, as well as with the US Ambassadors in Skopje, Tirana and Sofia, on the sidelines of the Southeast Europe Energy Forum held in Thessaloniki under the auspices of the American-Hellenic Chamber of Commerce. During the meeting there was a broad exchange of views on the dynamics created in the energy sector in the region of Southeastern Europe and, more broadly, in the Southeastern Mediterranean, and the key role that Greece plays as a strategic energy hub in the Balkans and Europe. In this context, recognizing that Greece is a pillar of peace and stability in the region, the importance of promoting alternative routes of energy sources was stressed, in order to ensure the diversification of energy sources and suppliers and, consequently, the enhancing of energy security and efficiency. To this end, the importance of existing and future related projects and infrastructure was underlined, such as the Floating Storage and Regasification Unit (FSRU), the Gas Interconnector Greece-Bulgaria (IGB), the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) and the EastMed. The importance of cooperation with all the countries of the Western Balkans was emphasized, in order to have multiple benefits from their energy interconnection. At the same time, Mr. Fragogiannis stressed to his American interlocutors the importance of observing and respecting International Law and avoiding unilateral and / or provocative actions by all countries in the region, as a defining factor for advancing the common strategic goals of Greece and the United States. The two sides agreed that they will continue to cooperate closely in this direction.
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