“A lot has happened since we met 7 months ago. A lot has changed on the pandemic front, but it seems that the initiatives that were launched then followed the timetables”, said the Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, in his greeting at the signing ceremony for the participation of the Bulgarian company Bulgartransgaz in the project of Alexandroupolis NLG Terminal at the Zappeion Palace.
“Today, with the signing of an agreement between the shareholders, this large investment is set in motion with the ultimate goal of turning our easternmost European port into a global energy hub”, said the Prime Minister.
“The gas will be liquefied and will meet the national natural gas network and from there it will be channeled at the end of 2022 with the beginning of 2023 to Greece, Bulgaria and the whole of southeastern and central Europe”, added Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
“Despite the complexity and upset from the pandemic the project is activated without delay. This way the gas will reach another common friend of ours, Romania, through Bulgaria. It is needless to mention the benefits of detoxification from more polluting and expensive forms of energy. Greece is implementing a plan for the final removal of lignite by 2028 at the latest. Today’s investment is a precursor to continuous and increasingly closer cooperation with Bulgaria”, said Kyriakos Mitsotakis, emphasizing that “the benefits are also geopolitical. The location of the new station in Alexandroupolis will strengthen its geopolitical character and will increase the number of ships arriving in its ports. This investment will stimulate the dynamic development of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace. When the remote regions are prospering, then the whole of Greece is prospering. The port of Alexandroupolis is becoming a hub of cooperation, a source of wealth between our peoples. Today is an example of how far we can go with peaceful coexistence”.
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“Greece and Bulgaria have become key hubs and now play a central role in energy and its distribution,” said Boyko Borisov.
In his short greeting, Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov stressed that a few years ago, no one imagined that what is happening would take place.
“We made investments, we changed the dynamics, with the investments we made under the roof of friendship with Greece”, added the Bulgarian Prime Minister.
He also pointed out that today the two countries are in this position to realize the vision of the recent past and added that not only there was a bridging of the energy sources but the two countries Greece and Bulgaria became key hubs and now play a central role in energy and its distribution. He noted that the construction of the projects will significantly affect the economy of the countries in the region and pointed out that if one looks at the map of the project, one will realize that the gas flows have changed, something that happened through reactions after confrontations with forces and economic actors.
“And we have reached a solution that satisfies all parties, both investors and partners. This will get gas from all over the world”. All these flows will be possible with this investment in this project”, said Boyko Borisov, who concluded his greeting by thanking the workers “who did not give it up with the coronavirus pandemic and brought things where they are today”.
