“The emerging regional architecture of energy security, prosperity and stability runs through Greece,” Environment and Energy Minister Stavros Papastavrou said in an interview with Kathimerini during his recent trip to Washington.
He highlighted that the presence of two major American energy companies in Greece provides a broader shield of energy security. He also sent a clear message to Turkey. Unless it embraces the US-promoted model of cooperation – abandoning the casus belli and the “gray zones theory” – it will not be able to participate in this new regional framework.
In recent months, Greece has achieved a significant geostrategic upgrade through its energy agreements with the United States. How can this momentum be sustained or even strengthened?
The agreements signed in Athens in November offer undeniable, multifaceted benefits, economic, energy-related, and geostrategic. They create opportunities, attract investment, generate new high-quality jobs, and strengthen energy security, while consolidating Greece’s geostrategic position. To fully realize these gains, it is essential that the agreements are implemented immediately, with continuous engagement, commitment to the objectives, and strict adherence to timelines. The Vertical Corridor is already operational, allowing the supply of US LNG to Ukraine. Just a few days ago, my US counterpart and I established a working group tasked with implementing the strategic objectives of the Vertical Corridor; its first meeting is scheduled for December 10. These initiatives form part of a broader architecture that enhances Greece’s regional role. The Vertical Corridor – connecting some 100 million people – the 3+1 framework linking Greece, Cyprus, Israel and the US, and the IMEC corridor together aim to create a unified pathway for regional development and stability stretching from India to Ukraine. Greece sits at the heart of this chain, acting as a key hub where energy routes, infrastructure, pipelines, ports, rail and road networks intersect, shaping a new regional architecture.
This new regional architecture strongly reflects the Trump doctrine, which firmly links energy to national security. Does Athens feel more secure within this model?
Indeed, energy security today is inseparable from national security. By strengthening the former, Greece naturally bolsters the latter. The conclusion of the Chevron-Helleniq Energy agreement and the first offshore drilling in 40 years – planned by the ExxonMobil-Energean-Helleniq Energy consortium – mark a new era in which the world’s two largest publicly listed energy companies are actively operating on Greek territory. Their presence enhances stability, confirms Greece’s credibility, and creates a broader shield of energy protection. However, as important as this energy shield is, it cannot replace Greece’s responsibility to continuously strengthen its national deterrent capabilities and leverage emerging European defense supply chains, especially amid global upheavals and Turkey’s ongoing casus belli. By investing in the hydrocarbons sector, Greece increases its energy security while remaining fully prepared.
Since the US considers regional stability and reduced tensions crucial for the success of its energy companies’ projects, does this affect Greece’s approach to Turkey?
This new architecture can only thrive in an environment of stability, genuine cooperation and clear prospects. We want it to serve as a paradigm shift for the region – one that eliminates extremes and threats. It is therefore up to Turkey to follow this model of cooperation, leaving behind the casus belli and the “gray zones theory.” Otherwise, Turkey will be unable to participate in this new reality. This vision of regional development highlights the need for a positive, realistic agenda based on commercial cooperation and respect for international law. Our planning prioritizes synergies grounded in international commercial norms rather than tensions or zero-sum thinking. Moreover, in recent months, Greece- – without reacting to Turkey’s provocations – has advanced the institutionalization of maritime spatial planning and marine parks, as well as agreements with the Chevron-Helleniq Energy consortium for offshore blocks south of Crete and the Peloponnese, exercising its sovereign rights in the sector.
Since you mentioned the 3+1, how valuable was the recent meeting in Athens and what foundations has it set for the future?
The recent meeting – held for the first time at the ministerial level – was particularly successful, marking an upgrade of the format. Established in 2019 through the US East Med Act, the 3+1 mechanism includes funding for the creation of the Eastern Mediterranean Energy Center, a goal toward which we are working systematically. Such a permanent cooperation hub will enhance strategic dialogue, build expertise, and solidify the energy partnership among member-states. At the same time, the 3+1 can serve as the link between the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) and the Vertical Corridor, creating a unified architecture of energy security and development across the Eastern Mediterranean and beyond. The next 3+1 meeting is scheduled for April 2026 in Washington.
With regard to IMEC, can Greece be confident it has established its place if and when the corridor becomes a reality?
From the outset, Greece treated IMEC as a strategic opportunity and acted methodically to secure its participation, without adopting an adversarial approach toward other European countries. This approach was reinforced through careful government planning, successive meetings between Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi – both in Athens in August 2023 and in India in February 2024 – and by promoting Greece as a key connectivity hub. Today, Greece has strengthened its role as an alternative gateway to the corridor. Combined with the Vertical Corridor and the 3+1, Greece is establishing its position in this emerging regional architecture.
Where does the electricity interconnection project stand? Sources in Washington suggest that if the three countries decide to break the deadlock, the US would provide support if needed.
As both the Greek prime minister and the president of Cyprus have announced, it has been decided to update the technical and financial data of the Greece-Cyprus electricity interconnection. During my visit to the US, interest in participating in the project was confirmed by American institutions – whether government-linked or purely private. For Greece, this project has never been purely economic. It carries strategic significance, ending Cyprus’s energy isolation and fitting within a broader vision connecting Greece, Cyprus, and Israel – and further linking Israel, the Arab world and India – transforming our geographic and energy links into a genuine corridor of stability and development.