At the beginning of the new decade we are witnessing a game with many and conflicting interests. A very tough game played in various capitals of the world – from Constantinople, Cairo and Tehran to Washington and Moscow. What they share in each capital are pieces of a very complex puzzle, which final picture is uncertain. No one can accurately predict what kind of balance the world will have in the years ahead.

Our country also claims its place in this complex puzzle. Not only as an «extra», but as a protagonist in an area where the presence of sources of energy changes the terms of the game. Recognizing this starring role recommends at the same time recognizing the fact that Athens is a staging point for what cinema would look like in a cosmopolitan adventure, but in real life it carries real risks. One could say that the hard game is played on a stretched rope.

Our country, however, must not miss the opportunity to go astray. Greece has the right to participate in the sharing of energy resources and  it is her duty to play a leading role in the consolidation of wider alliances whose purpose is both to defend its interests and also to ensure peaceful co-existence in the wider region. The puzzle, in other words, has to do with many things. But (these things are) not war clouds and cannons.