ENERGY: Cyprus-Greece-Israel Summit focuses on regional security with US

The 6th Trilateral Cyprus-Greece-Israel Summit, with the participation of the United States, begins in Jerusalem Wednesday afternoon to advance energy and security issues in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Attending the summit is Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. 

Accompanying Pompeo is US Assistant Secretary for Energy Resources Francis R. Fannon. 

Anastasiades is accompanied by Foreign Minister Nikos Christodoulides, Energy Minister George Lakkotrypis and government Spokesman Prodromos Prodromou. 

On the sidelines of the summit, Anastasiades will hold bilateral meetings with Netanyahu and Pompeo.

Issues on the agenda include energy security and regional developments.

The State Department said that Pompeo, while in Jerusalem as part of his visit to Lebanon and Kuwait, will “also participate in a meeting with Israeli, Cypriot, and Greek leaders to discuss key energy and security issues facing the Eastern Mediterranean region”.

Pompeo is expected to hold bilateral contacts with the three leaders. This will be followed by a meeting of all four together which will later include delegations.

At their December Summit, the Leaders of Cyprus, Greece and Israel pledged readiness to proceed with an interstate agreement for an ambitious $7 bln EastMed gas pipeline while the United States of America expressed support to the project, through its Ambassador to Israel, David Friedman.

Last week, the State Department praised the Eastern Med in “moving forward in exploring and exploiting for the benefit of their people – Greece, Cyprus, Turkey, Egypt, Israel”, their offshore resources.

The Cyprus Government Spokesman told CNA, the signing of the EastMed pipeline, was unlikely to go ahead as any developments are expected after the European elections. Rome’s presence, as a partner of the pipeline project that aims to link Israel, Cyprus, Greece and Italy, is required for the signing.