Israeli President awarded medal in Parliament

Israeli President Simon Peres awarded Gold Medal of Hellenic Parliament Israeli President Simon Peres was presented with the Gold Medal of the Hellenic Parliament for his contribution to the global community on Tuesday.   When presenting the medal, Parliament President Evangelos Meimarakis said it was a historic day for the Greek parliament due to the “honourable presence” of Peres, “a man who has contributed to peace in a region that has been sorely tried.”   Meimarakis added that cooperation among Greece and Israel is “a strategic choice for peace in the region” and unites their “sectors of energy, tourism, and culture.”   Peres said “"Greece does not only have a glorious past, but also a great future", as well as "a significant and prominent history imbued by a spirit of solidarity.”   "Our countries may be small, but they can become big, both in spirit and in science, for the building of a promising future in a world with such large changes to the point that it will be unrecognizable in 10 years," he continued.   After the ceremony, the Israeli President visited the New Acropolis Museum, where culture minister Constantine Arvanitopoulos hosted a luncheon in his honor. (AMNA, EM)

Israeli president to visit Greece

Israeli President Shimon Peres (photo) is to visit Greece next month, following a visit by Karolos Papoulias to the Middle Eastern country this time last year, sources said on Wednesday.

It will be the first official visit to Athens by Peres, who is to meet with Prime Minister Antonis Samaras and other officials, with talks expected to focus on the improvement of bilateral energy cooperation.

In 2010, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited then Greek Premier George Papandreou in Athens, marking the beginning of a new era in the diplomatic relations of the two countries.

Israeli ships in Greek firing range in the Aegean

On July 18 Israeli warships hold a “planned” exercise which lasted two hours in the Aegean. The exercise included the use of live ammunition off Greece’s Aegean island of Milos at the firing range “Karavia” in Myrtoo Sea.

We say “planned”, simply because it coincided with the visit of the Chief of the Hellenic Navy in Israel last week, while the desire of Israelis to conduct naval exercises in the Aegean had first been expressed last year. But since then the request was pending. This case was however special because only Israeli warships conducted the exercise without any Greek participation.

This does not diminish the importance of the exercise, but only in the broader context of Greek-Israeli cooperation, and not in other dimensions that some usually try to give. Such exercises are conducted regularly by the Israeli armed forces in order to become more familiar with environments that do not normally have the opportunity to practice, in this case an archipelago. Israeli ships also sailed in international waters of the Aegean Sea, making navigation exercises in the past.

The first exercise with the entrance of two Israeli naval vessels in Greek territorial waters, a Sa’ar 5 class corvette and a large Sa’ar 4.5 class missile boat also included firing live ammunition at the firing range.

Regarding the Greek-Israeli cooperation the attempt to gain lost ground, after the Greek transitional government service, has not yet begun, though according to some information a visit at a Foreign Minister level is expected.

Greek Cypriot Administration Moves to Construct LNG Terminal

The Greek Cypriot administration had decided to establish a liquid natural gas terminal and an undersea pipeline to help pump natural gas upstream from the Israeli and adjacent Cypriot offshore fields, top Greek Cypriot commerce, industry and tourism official said. 

Neoklis Silikiotis said major global energy companies had expressed interest in the construction of the LNG terminal, adding that a private US research university was set to prepare a feasibility report. 

Silikiotis was expected to pay a visit in Israel to meet with officials from Israeli energy companies, as well as with Israeli ministers of trade, industry, energy and foreign affairs. 

Earlier in February this year, Israeli prime minister reportedly asked Greek Cypriot administration to allow for the deployment of as much as 20 thousand Israeli commandos to protect a planned natural gas pipeline and a gas terminal to be constructed in southern Cyprus. 

A Greek Cypriot source close to the February meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanhayu and Greek Cypriot administration leader Demetris Christofias told the AA last May that Israel had conveyed its desire to build a pipeline and a terminal to pump natural gas from fields in the Eastern Mediterranean to European markets. 

Israel offered to build the terminal and to cover all the expenses -- which is estimated around $10 billion -- but it also demanded to employ 10 thousand Israelis in the construction work and 20 thousand commandos to protect the terminal and the pipeline as well as Israeli workers and their families, which would bring up the number of Israelis to come to the port city of Limassol to nearly 50 thousand. 

The terminal is vital for the Greek Cypriot administration to carry natural gas it extracted from fields at a unilaterally-declared exclusive economic zone in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Δεξίωση για την Ημέρα της Ανεξαρτησίας του Κράτους του Ισραήλ

Η Πρεσβεία του Ισραήλ σηματοδότησε την 64η επέτειο της Ανεξαρτησίας του Ισραήλ, με μια επιτυχημένη εκδήλωση στις 7 Μαΐου 2012 στο ξενοδοχείο Hilton Park στη Λευκωσία. Ο Πρέσβης Michael Harari υποδέχτηκε πάνω από 400 άτομα, που παρευρέθηκαν στην εκδήλωση, μεταξύ των οποίων ο Πρόεδρος της Κυπριακής Δημοκρατίας, υπουργοί της κυβέρνησης, πολιτικοί, ξένοι διπλωμάτες, εκλεκτοί προσκεκλημένοι από τον επιχειρηματικό και εμπορικό τομέα, καθώς και φίλους του Ισραήλ.

«Έχουμε πολλούς λόγους να νιώθουμε υπερήφανοι για ό, τι έχει επιτευχθεί τα τελευταία 64 χρόνια, λαμβάνοντας υπόψη τις προκλήσεις που αντιμετωπίσαμε. Τα τελευταία χρόνια έχουμε γίνει μάρτυρες μιας πολύ θετικής προόδου των διμερών σχέσεων μεταξύ Ισραήλ και Κύπρου, με πολλούς τρόπους. Στην πραγματικότητα, αυτή είναι η καλύτερη εποχή των κύπρο-ισραηλινών σχέσεων. Ελπίζω ότι θα είμαστε αρκετά έξυπνοι για να συνεχίσουμε σε αυτή την πορεία», δήλωσε ο Πρέσβης του Ισραήλ στην ομιλία του.

Αποκορύφωμα της βραδιάς ήταν η παράσταση από τον διεθνούς φήμης χορευτή Ido Tadmor και την ομάδα του, που παρουσίασαν μια μοντέρνα χορογραφία στους ήχους των «Μπολερό» και «Σονάτα του Σεληνόφωτος" και οι οποίοι καταχειροκρότηθηκαν από το κοινό.

Investment Energy Summit: Greece, Cyprus, Israel - The Economist Conferences

From: 28.03.2012 To: 29.03.2012Share

Divani Apollon Palace & Spa Hotel, Vouliagmeni, Athens 
March 28-29, 2012

The Investment Energy Summit's objective is to enlighten each aspect ofGreece's, Cyprus's and Israel's collaboration on issues regarding thestrategy of the new energy landscape.

Memorandum of collaboration on energy issues shall be signed by Greek Minister George Papaconstantinou, Cypriot Minister Praxoula Antoniadou Kyriacou and Israeli Minister Uzi Landau on the occasion of the international Economist Investment Energy Summit, scheduled to take place on March 28-29 2012 at the Divani Apollon Palace & Spa Hotel in Vouliagmeni, Athens.

The conference is being held under the auspices of the Hellenic Ministry of Environment, Energy & Climate Change and the Cypriot Ministry of Industry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism.

Ambassador Richard Morningstar, Special Envoy for Eurasian Energy, US Department of State will be addressing the official luncheon of the conference.

The status of energy exploration and its geostrategic significance for the region shall be thoroughly discussed during the sessions of the 2-day event, as well as the prospects of the transportation of natural gas, in the light of the creation of a third pole of Europe's energy supply.
 
The conference shall further focus on the re-design of the European energy map, with emphasis on investment potentiality, as well on the geopolitical dimensions. The issue of the Exclusive Economic Zones is also included in the agenda.
 
Challenges in the field of Renewable Energy Sources, as well as latest developments on international energy projects (ITGI, IGB, SOUTHSTREAM, NABUCCO, TAP) will also be discussed.

More than 40 speakers from Greece and abroad will participate in the conference.
 
Topics to be covered include:

• The Economist's forecast on energy
• The status of energy exploration and its geostrategic significance for the region
• Energy exploration in Greece: where and when?
• Exclusive Economic Zones: a necessity or not?
• Greece, Cyprus, Israel: Infrastructure projects for the transportation of natural gas. Pipeline or LNG?
• Natural gas pipelines: ITGI, IGB, SOUTH STREAM, NABUCCO, TAP
• Overcoming the challenges of exporting Middle Eastern gas to Europe
• Recent developments in Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan
• Russia's future strategy
• Energy market liberalisation: significant developments
• Market structure, networks and increased penetration of renewable energy sources
• Environmental sustainability  
• Waste management for energy purposes
• Financing energy projects

Please find below further information about:

• Agenda
• Speakers
• Fees and Registration

Lead Sponsor: IGI Poseidon
Main Sponsor: ΔΕΗ (Public Power Corporation)
Conference Sponsor: Marfin Popular Bank, Noble Energy, Siemens, DESFA 
Sponsor: On Telecoms
Contributors: M&M Gas, Protergia, Hyperion Systems Engineering, Metaxas & Associates
Communication Sponsor: I KATHIMERINI
Supplier of Courier Services: DHL
Internet Communication Sponsors: kathimerini.gr, EuroCharity, energypress.gr
IT sponsor: Sieben
Supported by the Greek Israeli Chamber of Commerce and Technology and the Cyprus Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI).

Greece-Cyprus-Israel Cooperation Memorandum

Greece, Cyprus and Israel will sign a memorandum of cooperation on energy issues at the end of this month, Environment, Energy and Climate Change Minister George Papaconstantinou announced during a press conference yesterday. The memorandum will address issues such as the linkage of the electricity grids of the three countries and the prospects of cooperation in the transportation of natural gas from the Eastern Mediterranean to Europe via Greece.

The minister also announced plans for further surveys in 10-12 areas of mainland Greece, including Evros, Kavala, Serres, Thessaloniki, Grevena, Aitoloakarnania, Messinia, Achaia and possibly Crete. The same "open-door" procedure will be used for the tender regarding seismic surveys in those regions, as in the four areas that generated interest by eight of the industry’s international leading companies.

Environment, Energy and Climate Change Ministry: Press Release (in Greek)