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Athens Macedonian News Agency: News in English, 16-11-22
CONTENTS
[01] Anastasiades briefed Tsipras on Cyprus talks, says PM's office
[02] Ministers meet with SOCAR, Snam executives in effort to unblock
DESFA deal
[01] Anastasiades briefed Tsipras on Cyprus talks, says PM's office
Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades
spoke on the phone a short while earlier, the prime minister's office
said on Tuesday evening.
According to the press release, Anastasiades briefed Tsipras on Monday's
negotiations.
[02] Ministers meet with SOCAR, Snam executives in effort to unblock
DESFA deal
Greek ministers and representatives of Azerbaijan's state oil company
SOCAR met in Athens on Tuesday in an effort to unblock the stalling
deal to sell a stake in the country's national gas transmission system
operator DESFA, an energy ministry source said.
SOCAR was declared the highest bidder in a 2013 tender for the acquisition
of a 66 percent stake in DESFA for 400 million euros, but the European
Union blocked the deal citing competition law, saying the Azeri company
must give up a 17 percent stake in DESFA so that it falls below 50
percent. Italy's gas grid operator Snam has expressed interest in buying
the 17 percent stake.
Energy Minister Giorgos Stathakis and Deputy Minister to the Prime
Minister Dimitris Liakos discussed the deadlock with SOCAR deputy vice
president for investments and marketing Vitaliy Baylarbayov, and a
representative of Snam.
The ministry source said talks must conclude by the end of the month,
otherwise the letter of guarantee submitted by SOCAR will expire and
expressed the view that a solution is possible, noting the Greek side is
not discussing a change in the conditions set in the tender or in the law
that raised DESFA's gas tariffs at a lower amount than SOCAR had accepted.
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