US envoy hails signing of Crete offshore licenses

The US Ambassador to Greece Geoffrey Pyatt welcomed on Thursday the signing of a deal between Greece and a three-member consortium comprised of ExxonMobil, Total and Hellenic Petroleum (ELPE) for an offshore license west and southwest of Crete.

Pyatt said the agreement with the Energy Ministry is “an important step forward in Greece’s emergence as a major European energy hub."

The licences must be ratified by parliament before exploration work can begin.

The event was attended by Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras.