Greece shields its own energy autonomy and acts as a key energy gateway to the rest of Europe, the Prime Minister stressed.
Here soon there will be an energy bridge that will unite the south with the north, first bringing Greece and Bulgaria together, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said, speaking at the opening of the IGB natural gas pipeline, in Komotini.
After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, coordinated action by the countries of our continent is deemed necessary in response to Moscow’s brutal blackmail, which our Bulgarian neighbors know firsthand, the Prime Minister emphasized and continued:
“Greece is at the forefront of this effort, strengthening its footprint: on the one hand shielding its own energy autonomy, and on the other acting as a central energy gateway to the rest of Europe.”
He added that its importance IGB conductor it grows from the fact that it will join the TAP pipeline.
His work Greek-Bulgarian Pipeline (IGB) consists of a pipeline approximately 182 km long (of which approximately 31 km are within Greek territory), as well as the necessary supporting facilities (Measuring Stations, water stations, Operation Center).
With a starting point in Komotini, the pipeline will end in Stara Zagora respectively, connecting the Natural Gas networks of Greece and Bulgaria, while there will be the possibility of reverse flow.
Its interconnection with the TAP pipeline is also foreseen. The IGB pipeline has an initial capacity of 3 billion cubic meters of natural gas per year, with the possibility of increasing it to 5 billion cubic meters of natural gas per year with the construction of a Compression Station.
Visit to the Rhodopes
Earlier, the Prime Minister visited the prefecture of Rodopi: “Thrace is changing, I dare say that it is changing faster than the rest of Greece is changing. Every time I come to Thrace, I am pleased to see the great progress being made,” he noted.
“All of Thrace is an example of harmonious coexistence of Christians and Muslims. I never want to forget that my father, Konstantinos Mitsotakis, was the one who practically established equality and equal statehood in Thrace. We still have a lot to do. In Thrace there is an extremely detailed Conclusion of the Inter-Party Committee, which was established for this very purpose and we intend to serve it and with the support of the local Self-Government, the Region, we will move so that the great changes that have begun in Thrace to speed up even more”, Kyriakos Mitsotakis noted while talking to citizens of Komotini during his visit to the city center.
The Prime Minister walked in the center of Komotini and visited the Jeni Mosque where he had a short dialogue with the Mufti of Komotini, Jihad Halil, the Mufti of Komotini, Osman Hamza, the Mufti of Xanthi, Hemseri Nezden and wished “all the best together with happiness for all Muslim Greeks”, for the great holiday of Kurban Bayram (Eid Al Adha) that they are preparing to celebrate tomorrow.
Also present were the President of the Administrative Committee of the Muslim Property of Xanthi, Halil Karandais, the President of the Administrative Committee of the Muslim Property of Komotini, Selim Isa and the President of the Administrative Committee of the Muslim Property of Didymoteicho, Irfan Molla.
Immediately after his arrival in Thrace, the Prime Minister attended the inauguration ceremony of the camps of the Holy Diocese of Maroneia and Komotini, which have been included in the Public Investment Program. “We provide the necessary support, the funds, the vision, the plan, so that today Thrace can really be the protagonist in a changing Greece”, said Kyriakos Mitsotakis and urged the young people to keep the memories of the experiences alive them in the camp as, as he said, “they will be experiences that will accompany you for a lifetime” and at the same time he was guided around the facilities.
“This important project for the new generation of Thrace is just one proof that what we say we can put into practice in cooperation with the Regional and Local Government. To launch projects that are beneficial for the citizens, primarily beneficial for the new generation. It is our duty for the next generation to be better than us and to be able to star in a Greece that will stand out and not be left behind,” Kyriakos Mitsotakis emphasized.
Earlier, the Prime Minister was given a guided tour by the President of the Cultural Association of Xylagani, Maria Papadopoulou, the Mayor of Maroneia, Konstantinos Haritopoulos and the Member of Parliament for Rodopi, Evripides Stylianides, to the Folklore Museum of the Cultural Association of Xylagani, which was founded in 1981 by refugees from Eastern Romilia and of Eastern Thrace who settled in the area in 1922 and 1924. It is noted that Konstantinos Mitsotakis played an important role in the creation of the Museum.
The Prime Minister was accompanied during his tour in Thrace by the Member of Parliament for Rodopi of the ND, Evripidis Stylianidis, the MPs of Evros of the New Democracy, Tasos Dimoshakis, Christos Dermentzopoulos, Stavros Keletsis, and the Regional Governor of Eastern Macedonia – Thrace, Christos Metios.
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