Syntropolis: The Future of Cyprus Natural Gas Production

Cyprus is a beautiful island, with a turbulent history like so many places in the Mediterranean region. The island is divided in a Greek and a Turkish part as a result of ethnic struggles in the sixties and seventies of the previous century. The ethnic tension between the two parts of the island is still eminent.

On the island we talked about the situation in Cyprus with ambassadors and high ranking international officers. The Dutch ambassador Brechje Schwachofer had invited us all to have a discussion with Hugh Pope. Hugh Pope is the author of the Report "Aphrodite's gift: Can Cypriot Gas Power a new Dialogue" of the International Crisis Group [2]. The distinguished experts were of the opinion that a solution to the Cyprus problem is not to be expected in the nearby future. The political complicated position of the rulers in eastern part of the Mediterranean Sea makes one indeed pessimistic. Will there ever be peace in this beautiful part of the world? A small spark of hope could, as Pope suggested in his report, be in the discovery of natural gas. The Cyprus gas field, named after the goddess of love Aphrodite, contains an estimated 140 till 240 BCM of natural gas. The name of the field is promising. After all Aphrodite, the goddess of love, is also seen as the symbol of balance. And it is balance that is needed in this Mediterranean region more than ever.  MORE