Peloni: This is an important development.
by SETH J. FRANTZMAN
Photo by Abdallamagdy – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikipedia
With a ceasefire in place in Gaza, there are many new opportunities arising in the region. While Israel was focused on Gaza, it was difficult for Israel to achieve much outside of the conflict. This put things like the Abraham Accords on ice. It also meant it was hard for Washington to advance cooperation initiatives. Now things are changing. The US has brought Kazakhstan into the Abraham Accords as US President Donald Trump met with leaders of Central Asian countries. The US is also working on deals in the Eastern Mediterranean.
On November 6, the US Embassy in Cyprus put out a statement released by the governments of the United States, the Republic of Cyprus, Greece, and Israel on the occasion of what is called a 3+1 Energy Ministerial. “The energy ministers of the Republic of Cyprus, Greece, State of Israel, and United States, as well as the co-chairs of the United States’ National Energy Dominance Council, met today to reaffirm their shared commitment to promoting energy security and cooperation in the Eastern Mediterranean, including through the Eastern Mediterranean Energy Center, as key to regional strategic stability and resilience,” the statement said.
“The Ministers reaffirmed their support for broader regional interconnectivity projects, currently in progress and future ones, within the context of the India Middle East Europe Corridor; energy development; and cooperation on energy infrastructure protection.”
The statement went on to note that the ministers “committed to use the 3+1 format to support the goal of diversifying the region’s energy supplies by reducing reliance on malign actors and improving connectivity between like-minded regional partners. They condemned Russian attempts to circumvent oil sanctions and finance its continuing war on Ukraine. The ministers reaffirmed their commitment to Europe-Israel energy infrastructure cooperation.”
This is important because it helps revive cooperation in the Eastern Mediterranean or “East Med.” There had been talks in the past about energy agreements and pipelines, but none of them came to fruition. This was in part because none of the countries were willing to put up the investments needed. Instead, it meant that countries such as Russia or Turkey were moving forward with infrastructure on energy deals.
However, the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the Gaza war have changed some calculations. Turkey has also changed. A new agreement in Iraq has enabled oil to be exported from the Kurdistan region of Iraq to Turkey again, after a cutoff.
Minister to meet in Washington DC
According to the recent Cyprus statement, “the ministers aim to convene in Washington, DC, in the second quarter of 2026 to further build out energy cooperation between their countries under the framework of the Eastern Mediterranean 3+1 Energy Dialogue.”
Ynet said that “in a summit held Thursday in Athens with Israel’s Energy Minister Eli Cohen and his counterparts from the United States, Greece and Cyprus, leaders committed to a bold US initiative to replace Russia and become Europe’s central energy supplier.” Iran is also taking notice.
Press TV said that “energy ministers from Israel, the United States, Greece, and Cyprus have vowed to enhance cooperation in regional energy security and infrastructure as part of a new alliance aimed at reducing Europe’s dependence on Russian resources.” There is also talk of how this could enhance the India-Middle East Economic Corridor to IMEC.
Press TV in Iran noted “Greece, Cyprus, and Israel signed an agreement in 2020 to construct the Eastern Mediterranean pipeline, a 1,900-kilometer (1,180-mile) undersea pipeline designed to deliver Israeli natural gas to Europe by 2025, helping diversify Europe’s energy resources. The project was expected to initially carry 10 billion cubic meters of gas a year to Europe.”
In Cyprus, the Cyprus Mail noted that “press office Victor Papadopoulos of Cyprus “said it was very important in geostrategic terms that the US was there and had emphasised the strategic importance of the Eastern Mediterranean for Europe’s energy security.”
The talks on energy deals came as Israel and the Greek air force also conducted a training. “In the exercise on Monday, Israeli and Greek aircraft carried out refueling operations that allowed fighter jets to extend their missions, the military said in a statement. The drills involved ‘dozens’ of Greek fighter jets and Israel’s 120th Squadron, the Air Force’s main aerial refueling and strategic transport unit,” Xinhua News in China added.
This puts Israel’s cooperation with Greece and Cyprus back on track. It should be noted that back in 2019, there was also a forum created called the East Mediterranean Gas Forum (EMGF or EGF), which brought Cyprus, Egypt, France, Greece, Israel, Italy, Jordan, and the Palestinian Authority. In those days leading up to the Abraham Accords, there were a lot of moves toward regional integration. There was I2U2 bringing together Israel, the UAE, the US, and India. There was also the Negev Forum and N7 Initiative aimed at bringing together US partners in the region.
With the ceasefire in Gaza, more things are possible in the East Med.
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