AMBASSADOR'S FEBRUARY 28 CALL ON DFM STYLIANIDIS:

C O N F I D E N T I A L ATHENS 000587

SIPDIS

FOR EUR/SE, EUR/SNEC, G/TIP

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/28/2015
TAGS: PREL PGOV EPET ENRG EWWT PHUM GR TU BU RS AMB
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR'S FEBRUARY 28 CALL ON DFM STYLIANIDIS:
BURGAS-ALEXANDROUPOLIS PIPELINE AND TIP

REF: SECSTATE 30117

Classified By: AMB. CHARLES P. RIES FOR REASONS 1.4(B) AND (D)


1. (C) SUMMARY: DFM Evripidis Stylianidis, at a February
28 meeting with Ambassador, pitched the proposed
Burgas-Alexandroupolis pipeline as a cheap and safe way to
ship Russian oil to Western Europe and beyond. Ambassador
raised the stalled Greece-Albania child repatriation
agreement as an important indicator of GoG progress for the
upcoming TIP report. Stylianidis said the delay was with
other ministries, but promised to try and shake the agreement
loose. (Athens 573 reports Stylianidis' comments on Greece's
Balkan Reconstruction Fund.) END SUMMARY.

Renewed Pitch For Burgas-Alexandroupolis Pipeline


2. (C) At a February 28 meeting with Ambassador, DFM
Evripidis Stylianidis spoke of his recent visit to Washington
and meeting with Amb. Steven Mann to pitch the
Burgas-Alexandroupolis bypass pipeline (ref). Noting that
this project had lain dormant for 11 years, Stylianidis said
it was now moving ahead. He argued Burgas-Alexandroupolis
would be less expensive than (the full cost of) tankers
transiting the Bosporus, or other pipeline initiatives,
including AMBO and Baku-Ceyhan; significantly reduce transit
times; and be more environmentally friendly. The DFM said
that Greece, Bulgaria and Russia had decided to provide the
political backing -- and would soon sign an agreement to this
effect -- but would leave the technical/business end
(participation, financing) to private companies. Asked if
companies from other countries could participate, Stylianidis
said companies would not be restricted to those belonging to
Greece, Bulgaria or Russia, but that competition would be
open to all. The key challenge, Stylianidis went on, would
be to convince Russian companies to commit sizable quantities
of oil to the pipeline.


3. (C) Dimitris Platis, Stylianidis' chef du cabinet and
MFA pointman on energy issues, stressed that the pipeline
would be far less risky than having tankers cross the
Straits. He noted that last year that the Bosporus had been
closed for 23 days due to a fairly minor accident -- if there
were a major accident, the Straits would be closed for far
longer. He concluded that more oil passing the Straits meant
more risk. With a bypass option, this risk would be
significantly reduced as less oil would transit in this way.
Stylianidis said that the GoG would keep Washington fully
informed about the pipeline's status.

TIP: Greece-Albania Child Repatriation Agreement


4. (SBU) Asked about the status of this agreement,
Stylianidis stated that the MFA had done its part in
negotiating it, but that two other ministries -- Justice and
Health -- had objections and that this was the source of the
delay in signing. The two ministries were concerned that the
agreement did not contain sufficient protections for children
repatriated. The Ambassador encouraged Stylianidis to shake
it loose. Stylianidis promised to do so, saying he believed
that in the end the MFA could convince the other ministries
to clear.


5. (SBU) Regarding other TIP matters, the DFM said the MFA
recently doubled the amount of funding for NGOs and had
involved the powerful Orthodox Church in anti-TIP activities.
Stylianidis also related that the GoG funds various TIP
shelters, but that only 35 women had been admitted in the
last 10 months. He agreed with Ambassador's observation that
lack of cooperation between police and NGOs in the
identification and referral of victims could explain the
small number of women being admitted to shelters.
RIES