Cyprus to build gas plant with or without Israel.....

Cyprus energy officials estimate that Cypriot waters are estimated to hold at least 60 trillion cubic feet of gas, enough to cover domestic needs for decades and supply Europe's growing demand for the fossil fuel.

NICOSIA, Cyprus — Cyprus' offshore natural gas deposits are enough to warrant the construction of a gas processing plant to export excess supply, regardless of whether Israel decides to be a partner in the project, the island nation's foreign minister said Wednesday.
Ioannis Kasoulides said Cyprus is continuing talks with Israel, which has also discovered its own offshore gas deposits, on ways the countries can best exploit their mineral reserves. Cyprus is particularly keen, hoping its future gas wealth will help pull it out of a crushing economic crisis that has forced it to ask for an international bailout.

One option is to pipe the gas to Cyprus, where it could be processed for export to Europe and beyond. The pipelines and processing facility, which would liquefy the gas for easier transport, are expected to be in place by 2019-20 and cost as much as 10 billion euros ($13.33 billion). 

"We must show understanding that Israel is deciding about all these matters in the coming months," Kasoulides told The Associated Press in an interview. Kasoulides said it remains to be seen whether Israel wants to be part of Cyprus' energy plans, but that the construction of the plant "will take place anyhow."
Another unpredictable factor is Turkey, which doesn't recognize Cyprus as a sovereign country and strongly objects to its gas search, and which has had troubled relations with Israel.
Cyprus was split into an internationally recognized Greek Cypriot south and a breakaway Turkish Cypriot north in 1974, when Turkey invaded after a coup by supporters of union with Greece. Turkish Cypriots declared an independent state in 1983, but is only recognized by Turkey which maintains 35,000 troops there.
Israel recently apologized to Turkey for a botched raid on a Gaza-bound flotilla that killed eight Turks and a Turkish-American in 2010 and agreed to compensate the injured and the relatives of the dead. The raid had badly ruptured Turkish-Israeli relations, but Kasoulides said he doesn't see the recent attempts to patch things up as standing in the way of potential Cypriot-Israeli energy cooperation.
Israel's apology over the incident "doesn't mean Israel is obliged to follow what Turkey is dictating in this region," the Cyprus foreign minister said.
Kasoulides and Cyprus' Commerce and Energy Minister George Lakkotrypis will travel to Israel next week for energy cooperation talks. Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades is to visit Israel later this month.
The foreign minister said the oil and gas companies that are licensed to search for mineral deposits off the island nation's southern coast will spearhead the infrastructure construction. One recently discovered field that U.S. firm Noble Energy and Israeli Partner Delek are developing is estimated to hold 5-8 trillion cubic feet (140-230 billion cubic meters) of gas.
Cyprus energy officials estimate that Cypriot waters are estimated to hold at least 60 trillion cubic feet (1.7 trillion cubic meters) of gas, enough to cover domestic needs for decades and supply Europe's growing demand for the fossil fuel.
Kasoulides challenged suggestions that Cyprus should ferry the gas to Turkey for further distribution to Europe, saying that such an option may be too limiting and that liquefied natural gas "can sell east and west, north and south."
Kasoulides insisted that it is Cyprus' sovereign right to exploit its own mineral deposits, despite fierce opposition from Turkey, which says the rights of Turkish Cypriot are being ignored, has claimed some of Cyprus' offshore blocks as its own and has warned that it would react strongly to further gas exploration by Cyprus.
The potential gas revenue belongs to all citizens of Cyprus, but will be shared with the north after a reunification agreement is reached, Kasoulides said.
"You cannot imagine taking money and giving (it) to a self-proclaimed, non-recognized entity with the island," he said. "How come? Are we going to give them a reward also? (The gas) belongs to both communities, but it belongs to both communities constituting ... a united Cyprus."
However, Kasoulides added that some of the future gas revenue may be used to fund scholarships and research grants that would be available to both communities even before a peace deal is hammered out. 
 .haaretz.com
5/4/13 
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Related:

• Λυγερός: Ξεκάθαρα τυπική η συγνώμη του Ισραήλ στην Τουρκία 

• Λακκοτρύπης: Ελπίδες στα ενεργειακά και τον τουρισμό

Time for climate action, 'to build the world we like' | EurActiv

It is time to empower citizens to lower their carbon footprint, writes EU Climate Commissioner Connie Hedegaard, who has launched a new educational campaign: A world you like. With a climate you like.

"With daily media reports about record CO₂ emissions, record ice melts, record droughts, record rainfalls, record food prices, it is no wonder that people get frustrated and concerned about climate change.
When the Commission polled 27,000 Europeans last year, people across the continent responded that they were more worried about the climate challenge than they were before the big climate summit in Copenhagen in 2009. No surprise, in fact.
Of course most people realise that the climate problem wasn't kind enough to disappear, just because we got busy handling the economic crisis.........Time for climate action, 'to build the world we like' | EurActiv

Bulgarian Govt: Greece Delays Launch of Makaza Border Pass

The road between Kardzhali (A) and Podkova (marked in orange) completed the Kardzhali-Makaza Pass (B) road, the Danube-Aegean through Bulgarian territory. The road on the Greek side is still to be completed. Map from bgmaps
The vastly delayed opening of the crossing point at the Makaza mountain pass on the Bulgarian-Greek border is the fault of Greece, Bulgarian Regional Development Minister Lilyana Pavlova.
"Bulgaria has fulfilled its commitment in time, while Greece is delaying the launching of the Makaza Pass border crossing. Bulgaria has been ready to launch the Makaza crossing since November 2011," Pavlova declared Monday, as cited by the press service of the Bulgarian Regional Development Ministry.

"The only obstacle to the opening of the Makaza border crossing is the lack of a 1.5-km-long road on the Greek side of the border, which needs to be completed. Unfortunately, that isn't happening yet," she added.
Pavlova reminded that last week Bulgarian PM Boyko Borisov even offered Greece to fund the 1.5 km road section with Bulgarian state budget money – a statement that was regarded as insulting by Greek officials, according to the Greek media [1].
"It is just a sin not to be able to launch this extremely important border crossing that would create an opportunity for transit traffic because of a 1.5 km road section. Perhaps it is tough for our counterparts in Greece," the Bulgarian Regional Development Minister added.

The Ruse-Makaza road linking Romania and Greece through Central Bulgaria is supposed to be part of the Pan-European Transport Corridor No. 9 leading from Helsinki, the Baltic States, Moscow, Kiev, and Bucharest to the Greek port of Alexandroupolis on the Aegean.
However, the international transport corridor, which harbors the potential to stimulate the development of much of Bulgaria's central regions, does not function at present because the Makaza Pass in the Rhodope Mountains on the Bulgarian-Greek border remains closed.

This is in spite of numerous promises in the past five years by senior Bulgarian and Greek politicians that a border crossing point there will be opened "next year."
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The road from Ruse (A) to the Makaza Pass (B), a section of the still unexisting Pan-European Transport Corridor No. 9, has been granted a priority status by the Bulgarian government. Map from bgmaps***
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The delay in the opening of the Makaza Pass, which is some 20 km north of Greece's Aegean coastline, has been attributed to the slow construction of the road on the Greek side of the border. If it becomes fully operational, the Ruse-Makaza Pass road will provide the shortest route from Romania's capital Bucharest (and much of Central and Eastern Europe, for that matter) to the Aegean / Mediterranean.
On Bulgaria's territory the Ruse-Makaza Pass road (section of Pan-European Transport Corridor No. 9) goes through Ruse, Byala, Veliko Tarnovo, Dryanovo, Gabrovo, the Shipka Pass (Balkan Mountain), Kazanlak, Stara Zagora, Dimitrovgrad, Haskovo, Kardzhali, and Momchilgrad to reach Makaza. It is dubbed Road I-5 (E-85) for Bulgarian government purposes.
Last year a long-anticipated decision of the Bulgarian government to make the Ruse-Makaza road a "priority project" was justified with the need to absorb EU funds under Operational Program "Transport", which would allow faster administrative procedures for investments, land expropriation, and construction. The Bulgarian government plans to turn the road in question into a "high-speed way" (with four lanes).
he road between Kardzhali (A) and Podkova (marked in orange) completed the Kardzhali-Makaza Pass (B) road, the Danube-Aegean through Bulgarian territory.

The actual realization on European Transport Corridor No. 9, however, also depends on the realization of one of the most-talked about infrastructure projects in Bulgaria in the past 20 years – the construction of a tunnel under the Shipka Pass in the Stara Planina Mountain (Balkan Mountain), which is supposed to improve greatly the transport links between Northern and Southern Bulgaria along the Ruse-Makaza route.

At present, Bulgaria and Greece share four border crossing points: 

• Kulata-Promachonas, 
• Ilinden-Exochi, 
• Svilengrad-Ormenion, 
• and Zlatograd-Thermes (Xanti).

novinite.com

***(After the necessary corrections with the name "FYROM".  

GREECE recognised this country with the name "FYROM")

24/9
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ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ:

  

• [1] Greece Insulted by Bulgarian PM's Makaza Remark

  • [2] Η Βουλγαρία αναλαμβάνει να τελειώσει τον κάθετο άξονα επί ...ελληνικού εδάφους

• Επιτάχυνση του οδικού δικτύου διασυνοριακά με τη Βουλγαρία

• «ΑΝΟΙΓΜΑ ΤΩΝ ΣΥΝΟΡΩΝ ΣΤΗ «ΜΑΚΑΖΑ» Ο ΤΙΤΛΟΣ ΤΟΥ ΑΡΘΡΟΥ Βουλγαρική εφημερίδα αναγγέλλει άνοιγμα του κάθετου άξονα στις 30 Ιουνίου

• Μεταξύ Κομοτηνής και Μακάζα (Маказа) οι νέοι διασυνοριακοί σταθμοί ΕΛΛΑΔΟΣ ΒΟΥΛΓΑΡΙΑΣ

  

   
  

Greece Insulted by Bulgarian PM's Makaza Remark

Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov has allegedly insulted Greece authorities by saying that his country is ready to pave with asphalt 1.5 km on Greek territory on the road through the Makaza mountain pass.

Last week, Borisov noted that the economic crisis has rendered Greece unable to finish its construction thus the road between Bulgaria's Kardzhali and Greece's Komotini remains closed. He pointed out that Bulgaria has been ready for quite a while with its section.

According to Greek media, Greek officials have been insulted by Borisov's comments, the Bulgarian Focus News Agency reported on Friday.

The news agency says that a Greek company is expected to launch the construction of the 1.5 km section on Friday.

The Ruse-Makaza road linking Romania and Greece through Central Bulgaria is supposed to be part of the Pan-European Transport Corridor No. 9 leading from Helsinki, the Baltic States, Moscow, Kiev, and Bucharest to the Greek port of Alexandroupolis on the Aegean.

However, the international transport corridor, which harbors the potential to stimulate the development of much of Bulgaria's central regions, does not function at present because the Makaza Pass in the Rhodope Mountains on the Bulgarian-Greek border remains closed.

Novinite.com (Sofia News Agency)

21/9/12

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***Η Βουλγαρία αναλαμβάνει να τελειώσει τον κάθετο άξονα επί ...ελληνικού εδάφους

Ευρεία δημοσιότητα έλαβαν στα βουλγαρικά μέσα ενημέρωσης οι δηλώσεις του Βούλγαρου πρωθυπουργού Μπόικο Μπορίσοφ αναφορικά με την πολιτική βούληση της κυβέρνησής του για την ταχύτερη δυνατή ολοκλήρωση της οδικής σύνδεσης Κίρτζαλι-Κομοτηνή και της νέας σχετικής διάβασης στα ελληνοβουλγαρικά σύνορα, όπως αναφέρει σε δημοσίευμά του το Αθηναϊκό – Μακεδονικό Πρακτορείο Ειδήσεων. 

Στο πλαίσιο αυτό, όπως είπε ο κ. Μπορίσοφ, η βουλγαρική πλευρά είναι έτοιμη να αναλάβει την κατασκευή του εναπομείναντος τμήματος, περίπου δύο χιλιομέτρων, στο ελληνικό τμήμα της νέας αυτής οδικής αρτηρίας. Ο κ. Μπορίσοφ, σε δηλώσεις του από το Κίρτζαλι, ανέφερε μάλιστα πως προτίθεται να απευθύνει σχετική πρόταση στον Έλληνα ομόλογό του Αντώνη Σαμαρά. «Για τη (διάβαση της) Μακάζα έχω συνεννοηθεί με τον Έλληνα πρωθυπουργό, με τον οποίο είμαστε φίλοι ακόμα από τα αντιπολιτευτικά χρόνια........ETHNOS KRATOS EL  18/9/12

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ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ:

 

• Επιτάχυνση του οδικού δικτύου διασυνοριακά με τη Βουλγαρία

• «ΑΝΟΙΓΜΑ ΤΩΝ ΣΥΝΟΡΩΝ ΣΤΗ «ΜΑΚΑΖΑ» Ο ΤΙΤΛΟΣ ΤΟΥ ΑΡΘΡΟΥ Βουλγαρική εφημερίδα αναγγέλλει άνοιγμα του κάθετου άξονα στις 30 Ιουνίου

• Μεταξύ Κομοτηνής και Μακάζα (Маказа) οι νέοι διασυνοριακοί σταθμοί ΕΛΛΑΔΟΣ ΒΟΥΛΓΑΡΙΑΣ

Δήλωση ντροπή: “Ο φτωχός φταίει για τη φτώχεια του”....Να μη γίνει η Αυστραλία, Ελλάδα

Η Αυστραλή Τζίνα Ράινχαρτ είναι η πλουσιότερη γυναίκα στον πλανήτη και πρώτη στη σχετική λίστα του Forbes, καθώς κληρονόμησε 75 εκ. δολάρια.
Σύμφωνα με την ίδια, οι φτωχοί άνθρωποι είναι φτωχοί επειδή δε δουλεύουν αρκετά, κι επειδή η κυβέρνηση τους εξασφαλίζει με υψηλά επιδόματα ανεργίας.
Μεταξύ άλλων, δήλωσε ότι “αν ζηλεύεις αυτούς που έχουν λεφτά, μην κάθεσαι και παραπονιέσαι.
Κάνε κάτι για να βγάλεις κι εσύ λεφτά – μην σπαταλάς χρόνο πίνοντας ή καπνίζοντας ή διασκεδάζοντας, δούλεψε περισσότερο. Δεν υπάρχει μονοπώλιο στους εκατομμυριούχους”.
Τα παραπάνω τα κατέγραψε στο Αυστραλέζικο περιοδικό Australian Resources, προσθέτοντας:

“Αν ζηλεύεις αυτούς που έχουν λεφτά, τότε μην κάθεσαι απλά να γκρινιάζεις. Κάνε κάτι για να βγάλεις λεφτά και εσύ. Πέρνα λιγότερο χρόνο καπνίζοντας, πίνοντας ή κουτσομπολεύοντας και περισσότερο δουλεύοντας”.

Να μη γίνει η Αυστραλία, Ελλάδα

Καταλήγοντας, περιέγραψε την κυβέρνηση της Αυστραλίας ως “σοσιαλιστική”, επειδή φροντίζει τους φτωχούς και είναι ενάντια στις επιχειρήσεις.
Κατά τη γνώμη της, τα επιδόματα ανεργίας πρέπει να μειωθούν, όπως και η φορολογία, «αλλιώς η Αυστραλία θα καταντήσει σαν την Ελλάδα”.
Αυτή την στιγμή η περιουσία της Ράινχαρτ ανέρχεται σε 29.17 δις δολάρια, ενώ κατάφερε να αυξήσει την περιουσία της κατά 18,8 δις δολάρια μέσα σε ένα μόλις χρόνο.
onlycy com 
31/8/12
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[1] Cut wages or we’ll end up like Greece, says Rinehart

31 Aug 2012 ( neoskosmos)

Unless there is a cut in minimum wages for Australian people, the 'lucky country' may end up like 'unlucky' Greece, according to Australia's richest woman, Gina Rinehart.
The $20 billion dollar worth mining magnate argued that there was a case for cutting the minimum wage - which currently stands $606 a week - warning not to do so Australia will face the same problems that Greece, together with Spain and other countries have endured due to the economic crisis.
It seems that Rinehart used Greece and Greeks as paradigm, while calling on Australians to stop smoking, socialising and going out, and focus on working and earning money, if they don't want to find themselves in Greek shoes.
"She told us to get out of the pubs, to stop smoking and socialising, to work on the weekends, and than you can get rich like her," Queensland independent MP Bob Katter said.
"But she left out the bit about daddy being a major cattle station owner and the biggest mining magnate in Australia. That helps as well."
Rinehart's comment - published in her column in mining magazine Australian Resources and Investment - has united all political parties, left and right, who labelled Gina out of touch with ordinary Australians.
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