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9/25/20

EU - East Med: the East Med Gas Forum to enhance regional ties, boost EU energy security - by Kostis Geropoulos

Egypt, Israel, Greece, Cyprus, Italy, Jordan and the Palestinian Authority established the East Mediterranean Gas Forum (EMGF) as an intergovernmental organisation in a virtual ceremony hosted by Cairo this week.

The EMGF can include any East Med country and facilitate the exploration of hydrocarbons in the region. Its charter says that its aim is “to serve as a platform that brings together gas producers, consumers and transit countries to create a shared vision and establish a structured systematic policy dialogue on natural gas”.

But joining is contingent on a country agreeing to EMGF’s main values and aims, Charles Ellinas, a senior fellow at the Global Energy Center at the Atlantic Council, told New Europe on September 23, asked if regional rival Turkey could become a member. “These include respecting ‘the rights of members with respect to their natural resources in accordance with the principles of international law and certainly through cooperation and without the use of force. This is something that Turkey could not comply with at present,” Ellinas said, noting that success in the forthcoming negotiations with Greece and resolution of the Cyprus problem may open the way.

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East Med Gas Forum to enhance regional ties, boost EU energy security | New Europe

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