US representatives slam withdrawal of support for EastMed pipeline
US Congress members Gus Bilirakis and Nicole Malliotakis sent a sternly worded letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken recently, objecting to a decision by the administration of President Joe Biden to withdraw support for the EastMed pipeline, a joint project by Greece, Cyprus and Israel that would supply natural gas to the European Union.
“By undermining the project, the administration is undercutting three of our strongest allies in the region: Israel, Greece, and Cyprus, as well as the European Union’s hopes for energy independence and economic prosperity,” their announcement of the letter on Monday said, stressing the current energy crisis in Europe.
“The Biden administration’s actions in this matter are particularly objectionable and hypocritical in light of its tacit approval of Russia’s Nord Stream pipeline, which will only deepen Europe’s energy dependence on a volatile adversary,” said Bilirakis.
“The administration must realize the significant economic, environmental, and national security implications that are at stake in this matter and reconsider its decision to withdraw support for this critical project,” he said.
Malliotakis, for her part, said that the government’s decision to “shut down America’s Keystone XL Pipeline, greenlight Putin’s NordStream 2 pipeline, and now disavow the Greek-Cypriot-Israeli EastMed Pipeline is a microcosm of this administration’s failed energy and foreign policy agendas.
“This president is asleep at the wheel, and his decision-making could cause severe economic and national security consequences for America and our allies,” she added.
