Cyprus, Greece and Israel to sign agreement on EastMed gas pipeline

The leaders of Cyprus, Greece and Israel plan to sign an agreement early in the new year for the building of the eastern Mediterranean natural gas pipeline, the Greek prime minister’s office announced Sunday.

The agreement will be signed in Athens on January 2 by Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Cypriot President Nikos Anastasiades and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, AP reports.

As now planned, the pipeline will run across the Mediterranean from Israel’s Levantine Basin offshore gas reserves to the Greek island of Crete and the Greek mainland, and then to Italy.

The deal will be finalized with Italy’s signature at a subsequent date, Mitsotakis’ office said, AP writes.

In May, Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte had expressed opposition to the Poseidon project, which is the last section of the pipeline that would connect Greece with Italy.

Cyprus, Greece and Israel already signed an agreement on the 1,900-kilometer pipeline earlier this year in the presence of U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

The EastMed pipeline is expected to satisfy about 10% of the European Union’s natural gas needs, decreasing energy dependence on Russia.

As EURACTIV.com writes, the 2,000-kilometer pipeline will be able to transfer between nine and 12 billion cubic meters a year.

The EastMed project is expected to make Cyprus, Greece and Israel key links in Europe’s energy supply chain and aims to stymie Turkey’s effort to extend its control to the eastern Mediterranean.

– It is really important that the countries showed they can react quickly against Turkey’s provocative stance – Greek government spokesman Stelios Petsas said.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said earlier this month he envisaged joint energy exploration activities with Libya in the eastern Mediterranean.

Turkey already has ships searching for oil and gas off Cyprus, and says the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus — recognized only by Ankara — has the right to explore around the entire island.

“Greece and countries supporting it were for a long time making preparations to ensure Turkey could not take any steps in the sea,” Erdogan said on December 22. He stressed though that Turkey “no longer had the luxury” to be silent, or coy on the issue, AFP reports.

“The EastMed pipeline agreement will go forward despite what Erdogan says,” Greek Energy and Environment Minister Kostis Hatzidakis had said earlier on Sunday.

EastMed gas pipeline

Kyriakos Mitsotakis

Nikos Anastasiades

Benjamin Netanyahu

Giuseppe Conte

Mike Pompeo

Recep Tayyip Erdogan

gas pipelines

natural gas

Mediterranean gas pipeline