Government vice-president and Foreign Minister Evangelos Venizelos said that the Greek presidency places particular emphasis on energy issues, which he said is the crux of all industrial policy, and these issues have a direct effect on EU foreign policy, during his opening address at the Athens Energy Forum 2014 yesterday.

He further noted that Greece aspires to become a transit hub mainly for natural gas, and to a lesser extent, for oil. "Hence we are content with the decision of the Shah Deniz Consortium to choose the TAP pipeline, because this gives us the opportunity to strengthen our cooperation with both partner countries i.e. Albania and Italy."

The two-day Athens Energy Forum 2014 is being held under the auspices of the Hellenic Presidency of the EU (13-14.03), and is focusing on the economic and political dynamics shaping new energy business opportunities in Greece and the wider region.