This morning, EMGF Secretary General Osama Mobarez participated in the 5th Southeast Europe & East Med conference, that took place in Washington DC.

The event is organized by the Delphi Economic Forum in cooperation with the Greek daily newspaper Kathimerini and the Hellenic American Leadership Council and aims to offer a platform to explore the long-term significance of establishing a safe, secure and prosperous Southeast Europe and Eastern Mediterranean region.

Over the course of the two-day event, leading government officials, businesspeople and academics discussed an array of topical issues, including: the development of the Western Balkans, the role of the US in this region, and the potential for cooperation between Greece and Middle Eastern countries.

SG Mobarez participated in a panel titled “The New Map: Is the Geography of Energy Destiny, along side with distinguished list of panelists that included, Kimberly Harrington, Dep. Ass. Secretary of State, Bureau of Energy Resources, U.S. Department of State, Georgios Stassis, Chairman & CEO, Public Power Corporation, Greece and Jonathan Cohen, Ambassador (ret), Distinguished Fellow, Royal United Services Institute, USA.

During the session SG Mobarez, highlighted climate actions by recalling the EMGF's initiative on decarbonization, launched at COP27. “At COP28, we launched the second phase of this initiative. And our main takeaway from that is how can we produce more gas, but in a more responsible way? How can we turn the Eastern Mediterranean into a low-cost, low-carbon energy provider?'' he noted, adding that the initiative identified five key pillars for the EMGF: technology, policy and regulatory harmonization, the region's emergence as a hub, the effort facilitating financing and attracting investments provided by the private sector and certification of carbon levels.