A Bit South of a War Zone, Five Ambassadors Walk Into a Greek Taverna
Could it be that President Biden’s pick for ambassador to Greece is finally burnishing his geographical credentials?
Could it be that President Biden’s pick for ambassador to Greece is finally burnishing his geographical skills? George Tsunis, long considered a Foggy Bottom punchline — not because of his waistline, but because of his paper thin diplomatic experience — last week found himself at the southern epicenter of Europe’s logistical lifeline for Ukraine: the northern Greek port of Alexandroupoli.
Mr. Tsunis reportedly dined at the city’s St George's Tavern along with his ambassadorial counterparts from Ukraine, Bulgaria, Moldova, and Romania. The mayor and regional governor were also present for a traditional multi-course Greek repast. But there was more than tzatziki and souvlaki on the menu.
According to a report in the Greek newspaper To Vima, the main reason for the kaffeeklatsch was to talk about liquefied natural gas, or LNG. The fuel has taken on increased significance following the Russian invasion of Ukraine and decoupling of most of the (western) European energy grid from mean ‘ol Moscow (a city that used to have a McDonalds, but no longer does…sad!)
The executive vice-president in charge of worldwide trading at prettily named Houston-based LNG company Cheniere told the website Euractiv last year that plunging supplies from Russian “really changed the flow dynamics” for gas in Europe. And how! In the first half of 2022, America assumed the position of the world’s top exporter of LNG and export capacity continues to expand.
Thank God we can export more than Kardashian sisters.
A floating LNG terminal is expected to be completed at Alexandroupoli as early as this December. Such a development will boost southeastern Europe’s energy security even further.
Speaking at Alexandroupoli last month, the former and likely next Greek prime minister Kyriakios Mitsotakis said that “within the next 20 months, Greece will be able to import much more LNG with increased liquifaction capacity.” What? Ok, whatever. But he added that “Moscow’s blackmail makes this regional cooperation not only essential, but also urgent. Greece has provided for its own energy adequacy and is now willing to help neighboring nations with their own needs.”
Alexandroupoli is closer to Istanbul than it is to Athens. Odessa, in Ukraine, is about 600 miles to the north. Unlike some other places on the Greek coast, it is not principally known for its beaches. It is at the southern terminus of a vertical corridor that has at its other end the edge of a Europe currently at war.
Well before the Russian invasion of Ukraine a former American ambassador to Athens, Geoffrey Pyatt, said that “the ever-growing volume of military activity at the Port of Alexandroupoli underscores this location’s expanding role and importance for Greece, for the United States, and for the wider region.” Those remarks followed the arrival of 1st Air Cavalry Brigade from Fort Hood at the port for a nine-month rotation at the nearby Stefanovikio army base.
While Athens packs the tourists who come to gawk at the Acropolis, it is clear that in terms of global significance right now Alexandroupoli is the place to be. At about the same time Mr. Tsunis was kibitzing with his coterie of fellow envoys about energy interconnections and infrastructure, Ta Nea reported, a ship in the port chartered by the Italian army was unloading war materiel for Ukraine.
American ships are now routinely “loading or unloading” tanks and helicopters, with another shipment slated for next week.
The uptick in activity at the port has unsurprisingly piqued the interest of Beijing. The Chinese ambassador to Athens, Xiao Junzheng, recently visited Alexandroupoli too, praising the “elegance” of the relatively small city that was originally settled by fishermen from the Ottoman Empire. Could Mr. Junzheng possibly be scouting for more than fish, like the Chinese have been doing in lovely poverty-wracked Cuba? Beijing already has a big stake in the commercial port of Piraeus, further south, though former Trump officials were famously sour on that deal which happened under the Obama presidency.
One thing is certain: the Communist Mr. Junzheng missed that fine meal at St George's Tavern, because (summoning Peter Sellers CBE here) fortune cookie say, you was not invited.