Countries in the region have understood that dependence on Russian oil and gas is very bad and there is convergence in interest in changing the sources of supply as we work to transition to green energy, a senior US State Department official said on Thursday.
Speaking to reporters after talks with President Nicos Anastasiades in Nicosia, US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland said what was sought was additional choices for more gas and oil short term.
Asked whether a proposed EastMed pipeline that would pump natural gas from the eastern Mediterranean to Europe was now an option for the US, Nuland said such a project would take ten years to build, would be very expensive and not financially viable, the Cyprus News Agency reported.
Asked whether she was bringing any ideas from Washington to take the process regarding the Cyprus issue forward, Nuland said they wanted to hear views from both sides of the green line, while voicing support for confidence building measures that could improve the economy.
According to CyBC the US official also made a faux pas when she referred to the Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar as ‘president’ for which she apologised and said it had been a long time since she had been in Cyprus.
Nuland, who is due to meet Tatar later on Thursday, said the US supports efforts to resolve the Cyprus issue and was very satisfied with its strong ties with Cyprus during this critical time for democracy amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Cyprus has provided humanitarian aid, prohibited Russian navy ships and strongly support the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine in the EU and internationally, she added.
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