The news that eight of the world’s largest seismic survey companies expressed interest in investing about $40 million in exploring for hydrocarbons in Greece is good but our government cannot throw dust in our eyes when it knows very well that to its East all hell is braking loose within its continental shelf. Exploring the Western part of Greece is all fair and good, but the Greek government has yet to answer to the reports that claim that Turkey has issued drilling rights in Greek territorial waters!
The Ministry of Energy said in an announcement that the bidders set to conduct seismic and geological research for possible oil and natural gas reserves (in four areas in western and southern Greece) include US-based ION Geophysical, Norway’s TGS-NOPEC, Dolphin Geophysical and Petroleum Geo-Services (PGS), France’s CGGVeritas, Spec Partners, Spectrum Geo Ltd and Fugro Multi Client Services. (ref.inews)
According to the Ministry, participation in the first phase of the tender, which concerns the submission of binding offers, has exceeded all expectations -in terms of numbers of bidders- and illustrates the general interest of the global oil industry in Greece’s unexplored hydrocarbon reserves. The plan now is for the first drilling to begin (surprise, surprise) within 2012 and for the first revenues from oil reserve exploitation to come before the end of the decade.
The Ministry has yet to answer to answer to the reports that claim that it has refused the EEZ of Kastelorizo because it is afraid to brake eggs with Turkey. And most importantly it did not comment on the recent reports that claimed that Turkey has issued drilling rights within Greek territorial waters!
More exactly, three days ago, Turkey proceeded issued drilling rights to several oil giants within Greece's continental shelf. A report, which was published on defencenet as well as several other Greek news sites, stated that Turkey is proceeding with hydrocarbon exploration despite the fact that it knows it is illegal.
This is not the first time, however, in which Turkey has attempted to issue exploration rights. In November 2011 - and more specifically on 16/11 - Ankara had announced the signing of an agreement between the Turkish Ministry of Energy and Petroleum Limited Company Turkey (TPAO) and the Shell and Exxon companies, to launch pilot drilling in areas that would be divided into 7 zones, three of which would belong to Shell and four would belong to Exxon.
The report said that the search for hydrocarbons would initially begin off the coast of Antalya, where the sea has a depth of 2,500 meters, (the costs of which will be covered by Shell). The same reports claimed that Ankara expects to find more than one billion US dollars in natural gas and/or oil in this area and split the profits with Ankara 50-50.
The MEGA issue therefore -which the Greek government does not want us to know about- is the fact that the Research Council of Turkey is planning to extend its territorial waters towards the west, meaning that it plans to pass Kastelorizo and reach the limits of Rhodes and even all the way near the island of Karpathos (!).
And all this while our government is trying to cover the embarrassment of the news by announcing the interest of several companies in the Western part of Greece. What about the Aegean?
Greece is not constructed solely by the Ioanian.
Is this why Deputy Minister for the Environment, Energy and Climate Change, (PECA) Y. Maniatis spoke about "undefined zones" and "unclear" areas in the Aegean?
Is Kastelorizo an undefined area Mr. Maniatis?
It is almost like he is "recognizing" the claims of Turkey in the Aegean and in the Eastern Mediterranean!
And if you think we here at hellasfrappe are over reacting over this, then think again, the statements even shocked the writers at defencenet who said in a separate report that the declaration by Maniatis goes beyond logic and is totally against Greece's foreign and national policies. "Not even Turkey would dare to make these types of statements" said a relevant report. (read full story here)
It is common sense that if Greece claims its full EEZ, Kastelorizo's presence would make its EEZ contiguous with the EEZ of Cyprus, a factor with great importance at the moment since there are massive off-shore gas and oil discoveries being conducted there.
The tiny little island of Kastelorizo, with an EEZ, will benefit the emerging Greece-Cyprus-Israel alliance and allow for the transport of Cypriot and Israeli natural gas (via pipeline) or electricity (via cable) to Western Europe without Turkish intervention.
Turkey is not very pleased about this and has said via its Minister of Energy, Taner Yildiz, that Ankara would never permit Israeli natural gas to transit Turkish territory.
Kastelorizo is not Turkish territory!
Let us clarify a few things. Turkey accepts that Kastelorizo is under Greece's control, and its six nautical miles of territorial waters, but it says that Athens does not have a right to extend them to twelve and has warned that if Greece does so then this would constitute as a casus belli.
So by exercising our rights, Ankara will send tanks and war ships and our government in Greece accepts this?
Doesn't the government know that by neutering Kastelorizo, Ankara wants to basically lay claim to a large economic area in the Mediterranean and block cooperation between Greece and Cyprus?
Obviously it does, but we have "Yes Men" governing us and they do not give a rats arse about Greece.
The only hope, believe it or not, is Europe. As the European Union pushes Greece to drill for hydrocarbons to find new sources of income, it better begin supporting this country to declare its EEZ, as well as protect Kastelorizo.
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