The European Union (EU) wants to “strengthen” their energy cooperation with the Jewish state in response to Russia’s “blackmail”, which cut off its gas supplies to European countries, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen.
The Kremlin used our reliance on Russian fossil fuels to blackmail us […] Russia deliberately cut off its gas supplies to Poland, Bulgaria and Finland, to Dutch and Danish companies in retaliation for our support for Ukrainehe charged in a speech at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.
” The Kremlin’s behavior only reinforces our desire to free ourselves from our reliance on Russia’s fossil fuels. “
For example, we are currently exploring ways to strengthen our energy partnership with Israel.he explained, citing a project for an undersea electric cable connecting the Jewish state, Cyprus and Greece and a pipeline in the eastern Mediterranean.
Israel is working to export some of its vast offshore gas resources to Europe, seeking to replace Russia’s fossil fuel purchases since the invasion of Ukraine in late February and sanctions on Moscow. .
Ms. met. von der Leyen on Monday night the Israeli Foreign and Energy Ministers, Yaïr Lapid and Karine Elharrar, and are scheduled to meet Tuesday night with the head of government Naftali Bennett.
Expect announcements in the coming days
According to a spokesman for Minister Elharrar, Ms Von der Leyen reiterated that IEU israeli needs gaswhile discussions were underway over several months to reach an agreement to export Israeli gas to Europe via Egypt.
Of the advertisement about energy cooperation along with Israel and other partners in the region should do in the next few dayssaid a spokesman for the European Commission, adding that Ms. von der Leyen will go to Egypt after Israel.
Israel began producing gas after the discovery in the early 2010s of several reservoirs on its Mediterranean coast, with reserves estimated at approximately 1 trillion cubic meters.
But two major problems arose for Israel: the absence of a gas pipeline to link its Mediterranean drilling platforms to markets in southern Europe and a dispute with neighboring Lebanon over the delimitation of part of its area exclusively. .
Israel has three main options for exporting its gas to Europe: transporting it to Egypt and then smelting it and sending it to Europe; build a gas pipeline in Turkey; or build a new hydrocarbon route directly to southern Europe, through Cyprus and Greece.
But this latest project, called EastMed, is worth nearly six billion euros and could take time to fulfill. Also, Israeli officials pleaded with Italy to join.
A dispute in Lebanon that is causing problems
Also visiting Israel, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi pleaded for bilateral gas cooperation without removing the veil on the route Israeli gas could take to get to Italy.
We work together to use the gas resources of the Eastern Mediterranean and to generate renewable energies. We want to reduce our reliance on Russian gassaid Mr. Draghi next to Mr. Bennett.
The discovery of vast gas deposits in the eastern Mediterranean has sparked border disputes between Lebanon and Israel. In October 2020, the two countries, in the technical state of war, began talks to limit their maritime border and remove barriers to hydrocarbon exploration.
But those talks have stalled since May 2021 due to disputes in the disputed Karish area.
Tensions rose again last week when a ship chartered for the Jewish state arrived by exploration company Energean Plc, Lebanon accusing Israel of operating in a disputed area.
But Israel is making sure the gas field is not in disputed waters, which also suggests analyzing satellite images conducted by Israelis on a daily basis. Ha’aretz.
France Media Agency
Source: Radio-Canada
