Eastern Mediterranean Energy Business Forum: Bringing the Greek business perspective to the heart of regional energy policy deliberations
Business Partners | May-Jun, 2026

At a time when energy security is more critical than ever, AmCham Greece’s energy business delegation to Washington DC underlined the shared commitment to advancing energy security and cooperation in the Eastern Mediterranean and highlighted the capabilities and potential of the Greek energy sector.

On June 8-10, 2026, the American-Hellenic Chamber of Commerce organized a series of high-level meetings and energy policy discussions in Washington DC to coincide with the 3+1 Energy Ministerial that took place in the United States that same week—a key development in the decade-old strategic partnership between Cyprus, Greece, and Israel and, since 2019, the United States that aims to bolster geopolitical stability through regional cooperation. This was the first business delegation from Greece planned and hosted by the Chamber’s Washington DC office, AmCham Greece – USA, based on the interests and requests of a senior energy delegation of AmCham Greece members from both sides of the Atlantic.

To that end, AmCham Greece also partnered with the Atlantic Council to organize the first, and very well-received, Eastern Mediterranean Energy Business Forum. Organized by AmCham Greece in cooperation with AmCham Cyprus, this invitation-only high-level business roundtable brought the Eastern Mediterranean to the heart of the Atlantic Council’s flagship Global Energy Forum. Importantly, it also brought the Greek business perspective into the energy policy deliberations of the 3+1 framework, focusing on advancing energy cooperation, strengthening regional energy security and infrastructure connectivity, and supporting diversification of energy supplies and resilience.

The Eastern Mediterranean is increasingly emerging as a corridor of connectivity, resilience, and opportunity—a strategically important region at the intersection of energy, infrastructure, technology, and geopolitics. The opportunity before us now is to ensure that cooperation continues to move at the same pace as opportunity.

– John D. Saracakis, President, American-Hellenic Chamber of Commerce 

The Eastern Mediterranean Energy Business Forum highlighted the role of AmCham Greece members as a bridge of stability in the Eastern Mediterranean and as the engine turning Greece into a regional energy hub.

– Katerina Sokou, Executive Director, AmCham Greece – USA

The AmCham Greece delegation comprised President John Saracakis, Executive Director of the US office Katerina Sokou, and Energy Committee Chair Dr. Kostas Andriosopoulos, as well as top executives from Chamber member companies, including Panayotis Kanellopoulos, Chief Executive Director of International Energy Supply and Trading at Metlen Energy and Metals, Thanasis Molokotos, executive member of the BoD at Viohalco, and Konstantinos Sifnaios, Vice President and Managing Director of Gastrade.

The Eastern Mediterranean Energy Business Forum brought together government officials, industry executives, and policy experts to assess energy security and infrastructure development and discuss business priorities and opportunities across the region. Participating in the roundtable discussion were Greece’s Minister of the Environment and Energy Stavros Papastavrou and Cyprus’s Minister of Energy, Commerce, and Industry Michael Damiannos, representatives from Israel, and industry executives from the United States and the region; alongside the delegation of AmCham members from Greece and the United States were executives from top energy market leaders including Baker Hughes, Chevron, Cheniere, EQT, Excelerate, and ExxonMobil.

Atlantic Council Distinguished Fellow and former US Ambassador to Greece Geoffrey Pyatt served as the moderator, Secretary General of the Eastern Mediterranean Gas Forum Osama Mobarez framed the discussion on Eastern Mediterranean energy security and cooperation, and the Greek and US industry executives discussed their respective strategies to supply the region, develop new energy resources, and contribute to regional interconnectivity projects, as well as funding and commercial considerations.

Participants underlined the increasing role of Greece and Cyprus as regional energy hubs and the potential of more Eastern Mediterranean energy resources reaching the European markets, particularly in light of the current geopolitical upheaval and the phasing out of Russian oil by the end of 2027. The discussion further showcased the sustained US interest in the Eastern Mediterranean, while also demonstrating the commitment of the Chamber’s Greece-based energy members to expand commercial and infrastructure ties with the US and Greece’s wider neighborhood.

The AmCham Greece delegation also had the opportunity to meet with Secretary of Energy Chris Wright, Special Envoy for Global Energy Integration Joshua Volz, and Greece’s Minister of the Environment and Energy Stavros Papastavrou at the sidelines of the Eastern Mediterranean Gas Forum Ministerial Meeting, while during a visit to the US Chamber of Commerce, the delegation was briefed by Christopher Guith, Senior Vice President of the US Chamber’s Global Energy Institute, on the latest important developments in US energy policy and the energy market.

Throughout these engagements, experts highlighted the US efforts to accelerate infrastructure development, including for US LNG exports, and to streamline regulatory processes to ensure an energy supply that keeps pace with the growing demand from emerging technologies and power-intensive industries. They also noted the importance of achieving energy security and efficiency to fuel the growth of the tech sector and reap the economic benefits of the AI revolution.