The second ministerial meeting of the Eastern Mediterranean GAS Forum (EMGF) took place in Cairo with the participation of seven countries, including Israel, on Thursday.
According to the Egyptian Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources' statement, participating countries included delegates from the energy ministries of Israel, Italy, Greece, Egypt, the Greek Cypriot Administration of Southern Cyprus (GCASC) and the Palestinian Authority, as well as a representative of the Jordanian Energy Minister.
U.S. Energy Minister Rick Perry, EU Commission Energy Director Dominique Ristori and representatives attended the meeting from France and the World Bank.
"The group looks to raise EMGF at international level to assure the rights in natural resources," the statement read. The next meeting will be held in 2020 in Cairo.
In January, Egyptian Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources announced in a statement that the seven countries in the region agreed to establish the EMGF.
"The main objective of the forum, which will include Egypt, GCASC, Greece, Israel, Italy, Jordan and Palestine, is the establishment of a regional gas market that will serve the interests of the member countries," the statement read.
It also said that any producer, consumer or transition countries in the region could join the forum.
Reporting by Hussein Abd El-Fettah and Mehmet Nuri Ucar in Cairo
Writing by Gokce Kucuk
Anadolu Agency
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