Foreign Minister Stavros Dimas on Tuesday met with visiting Special Envoy of the U.S. Secretary of State for Eurasian Energy, Ambassador Richard Morningstar and discussed issues concerning the exports of Iranian oil, the energy pipelines and the exploitation of the natural gas reserves in Eastern Mediterranean.

Foreign Minister Dimas expressed the satisfaction of the Greek side for Greece’s exception from the U.S. sanctions related with the Iranian oil imports.

Dimas underlined that the discovery of natural gas reserves in the Eastern Mediterranean creates a new major potential considering that it offers Europe a valuable alternative energy resource and transport route with Greece playing an important role in the process.

Afterwards, the Special Envoy of the U.S. Secretary of State for Eurasian Energy met with foreign ministry secretary general, Ambassador Y.-A. Zepos.

Energy issues the focus of Maniatis-Morningstar meeting

Deputy Environment, Energy and Climatic Change Minister Yiannis Maniatis met on Tuesday evening with the special envoy of the US Foreign Ministry for energy issues in Eurasia ambassador Richard Morningstar.

The meeting focused on initiatives being scheduled by Greece to become an energy centre through both the implementation of natural gas pipelines and the utilisation of the country's hydrocarbon deposits.

Morningstar will be making an address on Wednesday at the conference organised by the Economist magazine, on the issue of investments in energy in Greece, Cyprus and Israel. An energy cooperation agreement will also be signed in the framework of the conference.