President’s press officer confirms Israeli natural gas agreement following statements by Netanyahu

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu formally announced a plan to build a pipeline transporting natural gas from Israeli deposits to a liquefaction station to be built in Cyprus, the Cyprus News Association (CNA) reported on Monday.

Head of the president’s press office Victoras Papadopoulos on Monday confirmed to CyBC that “interest was high” and said Energy Minister George Papanastasiou would be travelling to Israel to discuss details within the next few days.

“This is a new energy interconnection in our region, which is sure to lift the Israeli economy to new heights, making Israel an important international energy provider,” Netanyahu said on Sunday in statements prior to a ministerial council meeting.

“We all know that Europe needs energy. It needs natural gas and our aim is to provide the European market with good quality natural gas at competitive prices,” the Israeli prime minister, said, adding that the new energy cooperation plan with Cyprus will greatly strengthen Israel’s position in the international market.

At the same time, Netanyahu stated that during last week’s meetings with President Nikos Christodoulides and delegations of the two countries last Thursday, a deepening of the framework for cooperation between Greece, Cyprus and Israel had been discussed.

The alliance of the three Eastern Mediterranean republics has been constructed systematically over the recent years, Netanyahu said.