Our problems were already enough. Then Polignosi decided to remind us of the anniversary. Cairo, 2020, the founding of the EastMed Gas Forum. In the photograph, ministers wear satisfied smiles, accompanied by optimistic timetables. Among them stands Cyprus' own Minister of Energy, Giorgos Lakkotrypis, yes, that one, now the protagonist of #videogate. He travelled, to initial the agreement. Cyprus was presented as a rising player, ready to become an energy hub in the Eastern Mediterranean. Once again, an “historic step”. Cyprus, together with Egypt, Greece, Israel, Italy, Jordan and Palestine, supposedly at the heart of the region’s energy developments.
Six years on, the photograph looks almost sad. Not only because it recalls past glories, but also because it has resurfaced in a completely different context, with the same protagonist now under scrutiny amid the videogate affair and widespread public criticism. Back then, he delivered inflated statements, made warnings to Turkey about “illegal actions” and calls for respect for international law. Today, the questions concern institutions, transparency and political accountability.
What has changed? Cyprus still burns heavy fuel oil to generate electricity, paying both an environmental and an economic price. The much advertised exploitation of natural gas at Vasiliko is constantly postponed. We were expecting, in 2020, then in 2022, then in 2026, and we are still waiting. The ship has yet to appear, infrastructure remains incomplete, and the country’s energy security is a slogan.
No, we are not even standing still. The reality is harsher: we are falling behind. Time has been wasted, and so has a substantial amount of money. Studies, advisory committees, trips and joint declarations have yet to deliver any tangible benefits for the people of Cyprus. The promise that Cyprus would become a regional energy hub remains a comforting dream.
The East Mediterranean Gas Forum may function as a platform for dialogue and geopolitical presence, and that is not insignificant. But dialogue alone does not heat homes or reduce electricity bills. Where decisiveness was needed, we encountered delays. Where accountability was essential, we found only silence. Time, resources and opportunities have been wasted.
Perhaps, in the end, the smiles in those Cairo photographs do not capture the energy hub we once imagined, but a hub frozen in time, a hub of lost opportunities, a hub of entanglement.