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Israeli ambassador "empties" "pro-Turkish" Nuland for EastMed

"Respect very much the Deputy Minister, Ms. Nuland", but the countries of the region are the ones who have to make the decision. And the countries of the region are discussing," stressed the Israeli ambassador to Greece Yoshi Amrani, commenting on the statements of US Deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland in "Kathimerini" regarding the EastMed.

Speaking at the 7th Delphi Economic Forum, the Israeli ambassador said characteristically:

"Let's look at our own interests, let's realize what assets we have as countries and as a region, and let's try to leverage them towards a specific political, economic, strategic benefit."

He stressed, however, the need for progress, noting that "we have been discussing EastMed for 12-13 years, until the Americans told us that it was leading nowhere.

"I don't think any of us were surprised, but if this isn't a surprise, let's think about other alternatives."

"It is time to make some progress," he said, emphasizing that if Europe is sincere in its rhetoric about the need to diversify gas supplies, this rhetoric from Brussels should be translated into actions.

In this context, he referred to the important role that Egypt plays in the field of energy, pointing out that this country is a partner, a key player.

He even referred to the recent summit between Israel, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates in Sharm el-Sheikh, where these issues were discussed at length, noting that energy is not limited to trilateral cooperation or the 3+1 initiative, with the participation of the US, "but there are specific regional dimensions to it."

Nuland: Yes to LNG, no to pipelines in the Mediterranean

It is noted that, in an interview with "Kathimerini", US Deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland put an end to the scenarios about EastMed or other pipelines in the Eastern Mediterranean with the support of Washington.

Ms. Nuland noted that the US favors the transportation of natural gas via LNG, while she also included Turkey among the countries that will cooperate with Greece, Israel, Egypt and the Republic of Cyprus in this broader context.

In fact, he estimated that the region could become an energy engine for Northern Europe.

“We don’t have to wait ten years and spend billions of dollars on these things.

"We need to move gas now. And we need to use gas today as a transition to a greener future."

"Ten years from now we don't want a pipeline."

"Ten years from now we want to be green."

"But right now we need the gas."

"So we need to use LNG and we need to use electricity connections that we can make faster."

"And Greece is a pioneer in all of this. And that is important," he said, among other things.