Netanyahu to sign deal with Greece, Cyprus in Athens next month
Agreement moving forward despite Turkish claims to Mediterranean; Egypt to begin importing natural gas from Israel by mid-January
By LAHAV HARKOV, REUTERSAn aerial view shows the newly arrived foundation platform of Leviathan natural gas field, in the Mediterranean Sea, off the coast of Haifa(photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM)Greece, Cyprus and Israel will press ahead with the development of a pipeline channeling natural gas from the Eastern Mediterranean to Europe, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office confirmed on Monday.The three countries plan to push the agreement forward in spite of an agreement between Turkey and Libya in which Ankara declared it has authority over some of Greece’s and Cyprus’s territorial water, in which the pipeline would be laid.Netanyahu, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades will sign an agreement on the EastMed pipeline in Athens during the first week of January, the office said. Mitsotakis’s office said that the meeting will take place on January 2. It will be the seventh such meeting between the three leaders.The agreement has been in the works since 2017 and will “anchor the countries’ commitment to establish the project,” the Prime Minister’s Office said, adding that it needs legal approval before Netanyahu signs, likely because he is leading an interim government.The government “has been promoting the project in recent years, which will contribute to Europe’s energy independence and to the flourishing of Israel and the Eastern Mediterranean.”The agreement will be concluded when Italy signs off too, the Greek announcement said, without providing further details.The statements of the prime ministers came after a telephone conversation between them over the weekend, in which Mitsotakis and Anastasiades reportedly lamented Turkey’s assertion of authority over their economic waters, but they decided to move forward as planned despite Ankara’s claims.Earlier this month, the Turkish navy deported an Israeli ship that Cyprus authorized to do research near its shores two weeks ago.European governments and Israel agreed in April to move forward with a Mediterranean pipeline project to carry natural gas from Israel to Europe, setting a target date of 2025 for completion.Europe is keen to diversify its energy supplies, and Greece wants to promote itself as a hub for the transit of gas from the eastern Mediterranean to the continent.Meanwhile, Egypt will begin importing natural gas from Israel by mid-January 2020, a senior industry source said on Sunday.Israeli gas exports to Egypt will gradually reach seven billion cubic meters, the source said on condition of anonymity.Egyptian company Dolphinus Holdings reached a landmark deal last year with the Israeli companies operating the Israeli Leviathan and Tamar fields.In October, the Israeli companies said they were increasing the amount of natural gas they plan to export to Egypt. One source in the Israeli energy industry estimated the value of gas was now $14 billion-$19.5 billion coming from Leviathan and $5.5b. from Tamar.The Energy Ministry gave its final approval for the start of production at the giant Leviathan field last week, after a court lifted a temporary injunction granted over environmental concerns.A spokesman for Egypt’s Petroleum Ministry said he could not provide any information on the matter.
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