The European Union wants to “strengthen” its energy cooperation with the Jewish state in response to Russia’s “blackmail”, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who is visiting Israel, said today.
“The Kremlin has used our dependence on Russian fossil fuels to blackmail us,” von der Layen said in a speech at Ben-Gurion University in the Negev in southern Israel.
“Since the beginning of the war (in Ukraine), Russia has deliberately cut off its gas supplies to Poland, Bulgaria and Finland, to Dutch and Danish companies in retaliation for our support for Ukraine,” he said.
“The Kremlin’s behavior only succeeds in strengthening our will to free ourselves from our dependence on Russian mineral energy,” von der Leyen said.
“For example, we are currently exploring ways to strengthen our energy cooperation with Israel,” he said, referring to a submarine cable project to connect the Jewish state to Cyprus and Greece, as well as a “pipeline” to the east. Mediterranean.
Von der Leyen met with Israeli Foreign and Energy Ministers Yair Lapid and Karin Elharar on Monday night and is scheduled to hold talks with Prime Minister Naftali Bennett tonight.
According to a spokesman for Minister Elharar, von der Leyen reiterated during their conversation yesterday that “the EU needs Israeli gas”.
“Announcements” regarding an energy cooperation “with Israel and other partners in the region” are to be made “in the coming days,” a European Commission spokeswoman said, adding that von der Layen would travel to Egypt. after Israel.
Agence France-Presse points out that three major options are offered to Israel to export some of its gas to Europe: to divert its natural gas to Egypt, a neighboring country already connected by a pipeline to the Jewish state, which then liquefy it and ship it to Europe; build a gas pipeline to Turkey, which in turn is connected to the Old Continent; or build a new hydrocarbon route directly to the European south.
Source: Capital
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