US Secretary of State to Attend Meeting of Greece, Cyprus and Israel
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will be taking part in the next trilateral meeting between Cyprus, Greece, and Israel, Cypriot Foreign Minister Nikos Christodoulides said on Saturday.
“US interest in taking part in the trilateral summit between Cyprus, Greece, and Israel was conveyed to us some time ago, and we were in constant contact to set a specific date,” Christodoulides told the Cyprus News Agency.
“It so happens that the meeting in question, with the USA represented at foreign minister level, can take place on March 20 in Israel.”
One of the main issues to be discussed is energy security, the minister added.
The meeting comes in the wake of ExxonMobil’s discovery of between 5-8 trillion cubic feet of natural gas deposits in an offshore field inside the island’s exclusive economic zone.
The announcement of the find this week coincided with a large-scale naval exercise by Turkey, which disputes Cyprus’ right to explore for hydrocarbons and has repeatedly disrupted operations.