Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday that Israel intends to export gas to Europe via Italy, promising much greater cooperation between the two countries, Reuters news agency reported.
In a brief statement following talks with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Netanyahu said that Italy and Israel will forge deeper ties in many sectors, including water, cybersecurity, and energy.
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“Italy has said it wants to be a hub for the supply of energy for Europe,” the statement said, adding:
“We think exactly that and we have gas reserves that we are now exporting and we would like to expedite more gas exports to Europe through Italy.”
Italy aims at replacing its imports of energy from Russia while becoming a major transporter of gas from North Africa and the Mediterranean.
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“There is now a participation of Eni in our gas projects, but we think we can carry it to a much higher level,” Netanyahu said, adding that Italian and Israeli ministers would meet in Israel in the coming months for bilateral talks.
Israel signed an initial agreement in November with Italian energy company Eni, which allows the energy companies to start searching for natural gas within the framework of a landmark maritime border deal with Lebanon.
(The Palestine Chronicle)
