According to recent reports, Washington expects that the situation in Ukraine will persist for a while and alternative solutions are being looked into, including the exploitation of reserves in the eastern Mediterranean.
Two senior US officials, the assistant undersecretary of Defence for Europe and NATO issues James J. Townsend and assistant US Undersecretary of State for European Affairs Amanda Sloat held talks in Nicosia on Friday, looking to deepen bilateral cooperation between Cyprus and the US on several levels.
Although Cypriot authorities are anticipating the confirmatory and new drillings to determine the extent of the natural gas reserves, the US officials seem to estimate that they are ‘enough’.
Meanwhile, the United States feel that the exploitation of the reserves can take place much earlier than initially anticipated and most definitely before the construction of the LNG terminal. The haste shown by the US in exploiting the reserves is thought to be directly related to developments in Ukraine, although certain parameters must be taken into account, as the investing companies must also be given a say.
During their visit, the two US officials also discussed security issues with Defence Minister Christoforos Fokaides including the embargo on selling weapons to Cyprus.
The issue has a political aspect but is also of the essence as although the National Guard may not purchase weapons, the government is interested in the equipment related to the supervision and monitoring of its EEZ.
Cyprus’ accession to NATO’s Partnership for Peace (PfP) was also discussed despite Turkey’s opposition, as the cooperation on that level does not end with the PfP. A search and rescue exercise has been scheduled for July 16 with US participation.
In a released statement, government spokesman Nicos Christodoulides said Anastasiades had a telephone conversation with Biden yesterday afternoon. The two discussed issues regarding bilateral relations and of international interest.
During the conversation, Anastasiades expressed satisfaction with the statements made by Biden during a congress of the Greek Orthodox Church in Philadelphia on Wednesday night.
Biden told his audience that Turkey should never have sent troops to Cyprus in 1974 without the government requesting them to do so. Anastasiades and Biden agreed to meet in the near future.
Meanwhile, the government spokesman will leave for Washington on Monday for a five-day visit during which he will meet with two US ministers, two advisers to the president on national security and deputy assistant secretary for energy diplomacy Amos Hochstein.
Source: InCyprus
