In Tehran, Tsipras says he hopes Greece will be Iran-EU bridge

On official visit, Greek PM calls Islamic Republic a ‘key player for stability and peace in Mideast’

By ToI Staff and Agencies 8 February 2016, 3:49 pm

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Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras during a parliamentary session in Athens, Friday, Aug. 14, 2015. (AP Photo/Yannis Liakos)

Greece aims to play the role of an economic force to strengthen ties between the European Union and Iran, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said Sunday after he arrived in Tehran for an official visit.

“Greece will become an energy, economic and trade bridge between Iran and European Union,” Tsipras said, according to a translation by the Mega television channel. He further called Iran “a key player for stability and peace in the Middle East, and a significant economic partner.”

Tsipras’s comments come after Iran’s nuclear deal with world powers came into force, allowing the United States and the European Union to lift economic sanctions in exchange for Tehran curbing its nuclear activities.

Two weeks ago, Greece and Iran engaged in talks regarding the possible renewed transfer of oil deliveries between the two countries. Iran delivered an estimated 100,000 barrels of oil per day to Greece in 2011, before the heavy sanctions were implemented, the Sputnik news site reported.

http://twitter.com/tsipras_eu/status/696632577893994496

Iran, which has the world’s fourth-biggest oil reserves, has seen its production fall to less than three million barrels per day (bpd) since 2012. Its oil exports have roughly halved to about 1.3 million bpd, from 2.5 million bpd in 2011. Iran also has the world’s largest reserves of gas and was the number four producer last year.

Late last month, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with Tsipras, as well as the Cypriot head of government, in an effort to strengthen ties between the three eastern Mediterranean nations and to advance plans to build a gas pipeline to Europe. Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades hosted Netanyahu and Tsipras in the first-ever tripartite summit between the countries. They pledged to work together to seize opportunities emerging from newly found offshore gas reserves in order to bolster stability and security in a region wracked by conflict.

Netanyahu said the three countries were to form a trilateral committee to study plans to build a pipeline between Israel and Cyprus and on to Greece for gas exports to Europe.