If someone had not followed the Israeli Prime Minister’s past statements on EastMed and the LNG terminal in Cyprus and did not know that energy was the main topic of the previous eight meetings, he might have thought that the leaders of Cyprus , Greece and Israel had more pressing issues at the 9th trilateral meeting in Nicosia. Energy, which once constituted an important axis of cooperation between the three countries, was only one item on the agenda.
Even President Nicos Christodoulides, in his statements, briefly mentioned energy, saying that “natural gas and renewable energy sources are essential for regional cooperation.” However, the Israeli Prime Minister attracted attention when he talked about dairy products like yogurt and haloumi, which are obviously popular among Israelis. The days when debates were dominated by hydrocarbons and gas pipelines are over, as is the excessive excitement in Nicosia whenever there was progress in the EEZ or at the political level. There was not even a mention of the EastMed gas pipeline, which was once a top priority for cooperation between Cyprus, Greece and Israel.
However, the Israeli Prime Minister highlighted an important point that Cyprus and Greece should take seriously to avoid the Jewish state turning to Plan B, namely Turkey. In simpler terms, he urged them to stop talking and start acting on natural gas exports within six months. Greece has not even started drilling and Cyprus is at a standstill on the Aphrodite field. Even if they acted quickly, they could not make up for lost time in six months, especially with the ongoing revision of the contract by the company managing the deposit.
Energy has lost its importance as a political tool for domestic consumption, unlike in Egypt, where the Zor deposit was discovered five years after Aphrodite and is already exploited commercially. Benjamin Netanyahu’s government is even considering energy cooperation with Turkey. On a lighter note, Israel and Cyprus could focus on dairy products like Greek yogurt and Cypriot halloumi, which do not require complicated export procedures.
(This article has been translated from its Greek original)
