Greece, Cyprus, Israel to discuss East Med gas pipeline plans in Nicosia
The leaders of Greece, Cyprus and Israel are holding a summit meeting in Nicosia on Tuesday to discuss energy-related issues.
Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, President Nicos Anastasiades and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are expected to focus on plans for an ambitious Mediterranean undersea natural gas pipeline project that will export much of Israel's gas reserves to Europe.
According to government sources, the leaders will discuss the possibility of signing an agreement between their respective governments in 2018.
The 2,000 km pipeline, known as East Med, will be able to transfer between 9 to 12 billion cubic meters (bcm) annually from the off-shore gas reserves in the Levantine Basin (Cyprus and Israel) into Greece and, in conjunction with the Poseidon and IGB pipelines, into Italy and other South East European countries.