![\"Papastavrou](\"https:\/\/www.ekathimerini.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/papastavrou_web-320x200.jpg\")
Environment and Energy Minister Stavros Papastavrou met with Special Envoy for Energy Integration at the US Department of Energy Joshua Volz in Athens on Tuesday and discussed strengthening and upgrading Greece\u2019s and Southeastern Europe\u2019s energy security.<\/p>\n
In a social media post, Papastavrou said the meeting followed the coordinated efforts undertaken over the past months \u2013 from the Transatlantic Gas Security Summit organized by the White House in February to the meetings held during CERAWeek2026 in Houston in March.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had the opportunity to discuss the positive developments in strengthening and upgrading the energy security of Greece and Southeastern Europe,\u201d he said. As Papastavrou noted, \u201cat the center of our discussion was the recent agreement among Transmission System Operators (TSO), which provides regulatory clarity at the European level and enhances the competitiveness of the Vertical Corridor, as well as the signing of the drilling contract between the ExxonMobil-Energean-Helleniq Energy consortium and Stena Drilling, which unlocks the first deepwater exploratory drilling in our country\u2019s history.\u201d<\/p>\n
Greece and the US are \u201cjointly building a strong strategic partnership in the energy sector,\u201d he said, adding that the next shared milestone was Croatia and the Three Seas Initiative Summit.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
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