Cypriot president calls for renewed gas field talks with Israel

Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides met on Sunday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem. 

The purpose of the Cypriot leader’s visit to the Jewish state was to restart talks concerning gas field cooperation between the two countries. Christodoulides argued that Cyprus and Israel “need to do much more in the areas of security, intelligence, tourism and trade.”

For several years, discussions have remained unresolved regarding the potential export of Israeli natural gas to the European Union through Cyprus, its Mediterranean member state. In addition, Cyprus has expressed interest in cooperating with Israel on the development of the Aphrodite gas field (which lies off the southern coast of Cyprus).

Christodoulides emphasized his intention to promote regional cooperation and shared interests when Cyprus assumes the presidency of the European Union Council in 2026.

The Cypriot president, who has visited Israel on several occasions, has called for strengthened bilateral relations with the country. He underscored his vision of connecting Europe with India via the Middle East, identifying Israel as a key partner in this long-term initiative.

“Our priority is to connect India, the Middle East, and Europe,” Christodoulides stated. He also expressed his country's support for the Jewish state amid the ongoing war with the Iranian regime and its terrorist proxies – Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis. The Cypriot president emphasized that cooperation and dialogue “enable us to face challenges together and to take advantage of what the region has to offer.”

Netanyahu confirmed that he and Christodoulides had discussed establishing an India–Middle East–Europe Economic Corridor.

“One of the ideas we discussed is IMEC (The India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor) – a revolutionary project we want to establish,” the Israeli leader said. 

Israeli President Isaac Herzog personally thanked the Cypriot leader for assisting Israel in fighting the recent wildfires in the Jerusalem area. Herzog further emphasized Israel's current top priority is to secure the release of the remaining 59 Israeli hostages held by Hamas terrorists and their allies in Gaza. 

“But nothing is more important on Israel’s agenda than bringing the hostages home,” Herzog stated. “We can’t just stand by; we have to change the reality,” he added. 

Christodoulides also addressed regional tensions in the eastern Mediterranean, saying, “We need to discuss regional developments, particularly concerning the situation in Syria and Lebanon. There is always one neighbor trying to cause problems in our region – and we’ll exchange impressions on that as well.” 

In June 2024, Hassan Nasrallah, the late leader of the Iranian-backed Lebanese terrorist militia Hezbollah openly threatened to attack Cyprus during a full-scale war with Israel. 

“Opening Cypriot airports and bases to the Israeli enemy to target Lebanon would mean that the Cypriot government is part of the war, and the resistance will deal with it as part of the war,” Nasrallah warned. 

However, the Hezbollah threat against Cyprus never materialized and the Israeli military eliminated Nasrallah last September alongside most of the terrorist group’s senior commanders. 

Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the European Union has increasingly signaled interest in reducing its energy dependence on Russia. 

In May 2023, Cyprus and Israel discussed the establishment of a potential pipeline that would link Israeli natural gas fields to Europe via Cyprus. 

"Our objective is low-cost electricity production ... so natural gas should come from the area," the Cypriot Energy Minister George Papanastasiou stated at the time.