Cyprus also plays a role in the fledgling agreement signed between the European Union and Israel and Egypt aiming to boost natural gas exports to the bloc.
The memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed on Wednesday during a visit to Cairo by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen as the bloc looks to replace Russian energy imports.
“This is a very positive development, Cyprus is also referred in the memorandum in more than one occasion,” Energy Minister Natasa Pilides told state radio on Thursday.
“The fact that Cyprus did not sign it yesterday is because it is an EU member and thus covered by that of the Commission,” she added.
The deal was signed as Egypt hosted the East Mediterranean Gas Forum, a grouping established in 2020 that aims to boost gas trade between regional states. This includes Israel, Greece, Cyprus and Jordan.
The signed framework deal will be the first to allow “significant” exports of Israeli gas to Europe.
