ENERGY: Egypt in full support of Cyprus exploration rights

Egypt supports the right of Cyprus to exploit its natural wealth within its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), Egyptian Parliament speaker Ali Abdel Aal said Monday.

The Egyptian head of a parliamentary delegation met on Monday with Cypriot counterpart Demetris Syllouris.

"As a House of Representatives of Egypt, we expressed our full support to the right of Cyprus to exploit its resources in its EEZ in the Mediterranean. We reaffirmed Egypt`s full support for the efforts made by Cyprus to restore its unity and we condemned any effort made to interfere in the country’s internal affairs,” Abdel Aal said.
 
He said that during the meeting they discussed issues of the trilateral cooperation between Egypt, Cyprus and Greece, stressing that this cooperation upgrades the presence of the three countries in the region.

Syllouris thanked Abdel Aal for his country’s longstanding support on the Cyprus issue and its opposition to Turkey`s intervention and he thanked him for Cairo’s support for the right of Cyprus to exploit its EEZ.

Cyprus is currently developing natural gas resources discovered within its EEZ, while several international energy companies are involved in hydrocarbon exploration and exploitation activities.

Nicosia is also hoping to supply Egypt with natural gas by building a pipeline.