Athens Macedonian News Agency: News in English, 16-09-29

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From: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>

CONTENTS

[01] Israel's Yuval Steinitz to ANA: Decisions on East Med pipeline in December

[02] Large Chinese government delegation to visit Crete on Sunday

[03] Restored Fethiye Mosque in central Athens to open to visitors by November

[01] Israel's Yuval Steinitz to ANA: Decisions on East Med pipeline in December

He said that Israel considers "the construction of this pipeline to be the strongest, long-term strategic choice," given that the project also has the support of the European Union, which will be involved in financing the studies, since the pipeline fits in with European energy security policy.

"Greece will become an important corridor, either toward the Balkans or toward Italy," Steinitz pointed out, emphasising the strategic value of the pipeline. He noted that Israel had already discovered gas fields containing 900 billion cubic metres (bcm) in its economic zone, while Cyprus' Aphrodite field contained 150 bcm known deposits with significant prospects for more.

"In total, together with Egypt, the quantities can reach as high as 9,000-10,000 bcm. If this happens over the next few years, the Eastern Mediterranean will become an important supplier of Europe, since it will be able to replace the North Sea-Norway, Netherlands and British fields, which are declining," he explained.

Asked whether a solution to the Cyprus issue was linked to the pipeline's progress, Steinitz said a solution would be good for the region - and would possible be achieved before peace in the Middle East - but "will not play a significant role in energy issues."

Regarding relations with Turkey, he said that Israel's energy plans will not change, even if these normalise. "I do not know if such a project would be realistic," he noted, adding that there must first be a dialogue of trust. "For me it is clear that we must sell Israeli, Cypriot and Egyptian gas directly to Europe," he said.

Steinitz reported having an interesting discussion with European Commissioner Miguel Arias Cañete in Abu Dhabi about nine months earlier. "The Europeans see Israel and the region as an important supplier of gas to Europe," he said.

The minister also listed a number of important benefits resulting from the "strategic dialogue developed beween the three democracies of the Eastern Mediterranean" in recent years: roughly 350,000 Israeli tourists visited Greece this year and another 150,000 visited Cyprus; there was enhanced cooperation in security and against terrorism, which Israel had great expertise in detecting; there was also close cooperation in scientific research and water management.

Concluding, Steinitz expressed his expectation that Greece will quickly overcome the economic crisis and said that economic cooperation will continue regardless, becoming even stronger when times were tough.

[02] Large Chinese government delegation to visit Crete on Sunday

A meeting between Arnaoutakis and the Chinese delegation will take place on Monday morning at 9:00 at the Creta Maris Hotel.

[03] Restored Fethiye Mosque in central Athens to open to visitors by November

This will be the second monument located inside the agora that will be fully restored and open to the public, after the opening of the Tower of the Winds nearby. The building is one of the most important of the ottoman period in Athens' historical center. According to the head of the Ephorate, Eleni Banou, the 17th century mosque will also be used for temporary exhibitions and other events relating to Athens and its architecture.

The restoration was conducted by the Department of Restoration of Byzantine and Post-Byzantine Monuments, and aimed at addressing two key needs: The removal of a series of morphological problems and the repair of accumulated damage on the building.

Fethiye Mosque was built on the ruins of a Christian basilica dating from the middle Byzantine period and was converted to a mosque during Ottoman times, when it was commonly known as the "Wheat market Mosque". It is built according to the architectural type of "quatrefoil" or "clover-leaf-cross-in-square", as its wide central dome is supported by four smaller domes in cruciform layout.

In autumn 2010, the Ministry of Culture ordered the emptying of the building from the various antiquities stored there, and the beginning of the process to restore it and open it to the public. The decision was sanctioned by the Central Archaeological Council in 2013, paving the way for its restoration and its opening to the public.

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