Gas exploration can be a catalyst for cooperation new US ambassador says

Hydrocarbons can serve as a catalyst for increased regional cooperation and an incentive for a Cyprus settlement, the nominee for the position of US ambassador to Cyprus stated on Thursday.

Judith Gail Garber was addressing the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations.

“This is an important time for Cyprus, a country situated at the crossroads of Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. It is at this place that US national interests in anchoring the Euro-Atlantic Alliance, securing the Eastern frontier, and stabilizing the South intersect,” Garber said.

She went on to describe Cyprus as “a valued friend and important strategic partner with whom the US cooperate on a range of priorities, including counterterrorism, maritime security, and law enforcement.”

Referring to the discovery of natural gas in the Eastern Mediterranean, including in Cyprus’ offshore waters, Garber noted that this discovery has expanded possibilities for increasing regional energy security through diversification of resources, routes, and suppliers.

“We have emphasized our support of the Republic of Cyprus’ right to develop hydrocarbon resources in its Exclusive Economic Zone. We also believe the resources should be shared equitably between both communities within the context of an overall settlement,” she said.

“Hydrocarbons have the potential, if managed correctly, to be a catalyst for increased cooperation, for enhanced regional stability and prosperity, and should serve as an incentive to a Cyprus settlement. If confirmed, I would seek to build upon this potential.”

 

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.