Egypt, Israel to boost gas exports to Europe

CAIRO－Egypt, the European Union and Israel signed a trilateral deal on Wednesday to boost exports of Israeli natural gas to Europe via Egypt, in a bid to reduce the bloc's dependence on supply from Russia.

The signing of this agreement is "a special moment", European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told a news conference alongside the Egyptian and Israeli energy ministers in Cairo.

The deal will allow more supplies of gas from Israel via Egypt, which has facilities to liquefy it for shipment by sea.

"With this agreement, we will work on the stable delivery of natural gas to the EU from the East Mediterranean region," she tweeted shortly after the ministerial meeting of the East Mediterranean Gas Forum, or EMGF, where the deal was reached.

"This will contribute to our EU energy security, and we are building infrastructure fit for renewables－the energy of the future."

Egypt will host the United Nations' COP 27 climate conference in Sharm el-Sheikh in November.

Later on Wednesday, von der Leyen traveled to Jordan, where she met with King Abdullah II. She called Jordan "an essential partner for the EU" in comments on Twitter.

"You have a crucial role to play in the stability and prosperity of the region," she said.

Russian supplies constituted nearly 45 percent of the EU's gas imports last year, according to the International Energy Agency.

Egyptian Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Tarek El-Molla said the deal is an important step to boost relations between Egypt, Israel and the EU, and will foster cooperation among EMGF members and partners.

EMGF is a platform formed by Egypt, Palestine, Jordan, Greece, Cyprus, Italy, France and Israel in 2019 and headquartered in Cairo.

Meanwhile, Israeli Minister of Energy Karine Elharrar said the partnership between Egypt and Israel "ensures natural gas security for our European partners", helping them to face the current energy crisis.

This deal sends a message that the EMGF plays a pivotal role in securing energy to Europe, she said, noting geopolitical developments in eastern Europe have highly impacted the energy industry.

After achieving self-sufficiency in natural gas in 2018, Egypt is working to take up the role of a regional energy hub by strengthening regional cooperation and discovering many gas sources.

In November, Egypt announced it had signed a memorandum of understanding with Israel to increase natural gas supplies from Israel to Egypt for re-export.

Xinhua - Agencies