{"id":171,"date":"2016-03-06T16:18:25","date_gmt":"2016-03-06T16:18:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/euromenaenergy.com\/?p=171"},"modified":"2016-03-06T16:18:25","modified_gmt":"2016-03-06T16:18:25","slug":"energy-revenues-can-open-way-to-whole-new-future-for-cyprus-expert","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/emimer.com\/?p=171","title":{"rendered":"Energy revenues can open way to whole new future for Cyprus \u2013 expert"},"content":{"rendered":"

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NICOSIA, Cyprus: Oil and gas figure to unlock historic gains for Cyprus that go far beyond economics and even its own borders, a senior industry veteran told a two-day energy conference in Nicosia as it wrapped up last week.<\/p>\n

\u201cCyprus is the region\u2019s natural energy hub, meaning that every step it takes toward realizing that ambition also improves its neighbors\u2019 chances of building their own oil and gas sectors,\u201d said Roudi Baroudi, CEO of Qatar-based Energy and Environment Holding (EEH), an independent consultancy.<\/p>\n

For good measure, he told the audience at the 7th<\/sup> Mediterranean Oil & Gas Forum, the rapidly emerging energy industry also \u201cpromises a huge added incentive\u201d for leaders of the country\u2019s Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities to continue \u201crebuilding momentum for reunification.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkish troops occupied the northern third of the island in response to a Greek-sponsored coup. Now a new United Nations-backed peace process has received a welcome boost from the warming relationship between President Nicos Anastasiades, who heads the internationally recognized Republic of Cyprus (ROC), and Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci. The two even made a joint appearance at last month\u2019s World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.<\/p>\n

EEH\u2019s Baroudi, who has worked in the industry for more than 30 years, also applauded Cyprus for setting positive examples for other countries in the region.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is gratifying when public officials recognize a historic opportunity before their compatriots and actively participate in making it happen,\u201d he told a panel audience, and \u201cCyprus\u2019 dual progress on both the peace process and the oil and gas sector should instill hope in all of its neighbors.\u201d<\/p>\n

Indeed, the ROC was heavily represented at the forum, with keynote addresses delivered by each of Foreign Minister Ioannis Kasoulides, Energy, Commerce, Industry, and Tourism Minister Yiorgos Lakkotrypis, and President Anastasiades himself. Numerous other officials were also on hand for various sessions, as were high-level participants from foreign governments and major international corporations.<\/p>\n

Baroudi also urged the authorities in his own country, Lebanon, to get serious about protecting its own interests, starting with efforts to define its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). This process could be complicated, he warned, by the fact that Israel \u2013 with which Lebanon has no diplomatic relations \u2013 is one of three countries in the region, along with Syria and Turkey, that have neither signed nor ratified the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). To make sure Lebanon\u2019s doesn\u2019t miss out on its fair share of any revenues, he argued, talks to set the maritime boundary with Cyprus should be revived, and both sides should request \u201cthe good offices of the United States to help define the southern tripoint where their EEZs come together with Israel\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n

If and when Beirut reaches out to Nicosia, he predicted, it will find a willing partner.<\/p>\n

\u201cCyprus has clearly demonstrated its commitment to cooperation as the route to a harmonious regional energy industry that would impart enormous economic, social, and even security benefits to all participating countries and their populations,\u201d Baroudi told his audience. \u201cIn fact we all owe Cyprus our gratitude. Lebanon\u2019s leaders need to show the same initiative, the same imagination, and the same concern for future generations.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

NICOSIA, Cyprus: Oil and gas figure to unlock historic gains for Cyprus that go far beyond economics and even its own borders, a senior industry veteran told a two-day energy conference in…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-171","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/emimer.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/171","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/emimer.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/emimer.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/emimer.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/emimer.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=171"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/emimer.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/171\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/emimer.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=171"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/emimer.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=171"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/emimer.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=171"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}