The Guardian reports that “US vice-president Joe Biden arrived in Cyprus on Wednesday, the most senior US official to visit in more than 50 years, as the quest to find alternative energy routes into Europe focused international attention on the continent’s only divided country.”  

“With the discovery of vast reserves of oil and natural gas deposits in the eastern Mediterranean, the visit highlights the growing importance Washington has given to the region following the crisis in the Ukraine. If unlocked, the hydrocarbons have the potential to substantially reduce Europe’s reliance on Russia for energy supplies.”