The ceremony for the official launch of the implementation of the LNG terminal station in the city of Alexandroupolis was held at Telonio warehouse on Tuesday.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis welcomed the President of the European Council Charles Michel, the Prime Ministers of Bulgaria Kiril Petkov, of North Macedonia Dimitar Kovačevsky, the President of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic and the outgoing US Ambassador Geoffrey Pyatt outside Telonio warehouse.
Environment and Energy Minister Kostas Skrekas, Investment and Development Minister Adonis Georgiadis, Shipping Minister Yiannis Plakiotakis, Deputy Minister of Macedonia and Thrace Stavros Kalafatis along with Energy Ministers from Bulgaria, Serbia, North Macedonia and US envoys to Balkan countries attended the event.
The Independent Natural Gas System of Alexandroupolis (INGS) is “a new energy gateway for Greece, for the Balkans and for the Southeastern Europe as well as a beacon which sends a double signal,” PM Mitsotakis said on Tuesday addressing the official inauguration of the start of the works for the new LNG terminal off the port city of Alexandroupolis.
“First, that with this very important project along with the other projects which are being implemented in Greece, we will be very soon in position to replace the natural gas from Russian sources. In parallel that our countries are ready to assume together a new key role to Europe’s energy map,” Mitsotakis said, underlining that “Moscow’s recent blackmail regarding the natural gas are now making the cooperation not only necessary but, I would say, urgent. Greece is a pioneer and has already taken care for its own national energy sufficiency and is of course willing to assist neighbouring countries as Bulgaria.”
Addressing the President of the European Council Charles Michel, the Prime Ministers of Bulgaria, North Macedonia, and Serbia and the US ambassador, the Greek prime minister said that “your presence here today signals the Balkan countries’ solidarity along with their alignment with Europe, because our peninsula can and has its own position in Europe’s energy transition strategy, addressing together the situation by building fruitful cooperations far away from deadlocked competitions.” One very important step towards this direction is Alexandroupolis Independent Natural Gas System, he underlined.
SOURCE; AMNA
