Egypt, Israel, EU ink deal for exporting gas to Europe

By Abdelraouf Arna'out

JERUSALEM (AA) - Egypt, Israel, and the EU on Wednesday signed a memorandum of understanding in Cairo to export Israeli gas to Europe.

Israeli Energy Minister Karine Elharrar shared a video on her Twitter account for the signing of the trilateral deal.

"Today, Egypt and Israel together made commitment to share our natural gas with Europe and to help with the energy crisis," Elharrar said following the signing ceremony.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen welcomed the signing of the deal.

"I very warmly welcome the signature of this historic agreement between Israel, Egypt, and the European Union," she said.

On Tuesday, the Israeli i24 news channel reported that Elharrar will meet with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and other senior officials, including Minister of Petroleum and Natural Resources Tarek El-Molla to sign a deal for transferring gas from Israel to Egypt via existing pipelines and then liquefying it in Egypt before exporting it to Europe.

"I am grateful that Israel will increase its supply of energy to the EU," von der Leyen said on Twitter.

Following Russia’s launch of its war on Ukraine, the EU has sought to reduce its dependency on energy supplies from Moscow and has searched for energy deals with other countries, including Israel and Egypt.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar in Ankara