Nicos Anastasiades

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis (r) talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (l) during a meeting in Athens, Thursday. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis holds meetings with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades, who are in Athens for the signing of the EastMed natural gas pipeline agreement between Greece, Israel and Cyprus.

The intergovernmental agreement on the Eastern Mediterranean natural gas pipeline that will be signed by Greece, Cyprus and Israel in Athens on Thursday contains provisions on measures to protect the pipeline, government sources said.

EastMed Intergovernmental Agreement to be signed in Athens today between Greece's Energy Ministers Kostis Hatzidakis, Israel's Yuval Steinitz and Cyprus's George Lakkotrypis, in the presence of Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis hailed the plan to sign an agreement later on Thursday for the building of the eastern Mediterranean natural gas pipeline, as he welcomed Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades in Athens.

Greece, Cyprus and Israel will sign on Thursday an intergovernmental agreement for the EastMed natural gas pipeline during a meeting in Athens.
The pipeline will run across the Mediterranean from Israel's Levantine Basin offshore gas reserves to the Greek island of Crete and the Greek mainland, and then to Italy.

On Thursday, Cyprus, Greece and Israel will sign, in Athens, an Intergovernmental Agreement on building the EastMed natural gas pipeline, and Italy's Minister for Economic Development Stefano Patuanelli, whose portfolio includes Energy, has sent a letter of support for the project to his Greek counterpart, Environment and Energy Minister Kostis Hatzidakis.

The flurry of diplomatic activity in the Eastern Mediterranean is intensifying in the wake of Turkey's decision to involve itself yet deeper in the Libya crisis and its effort to create faits accomplis primarily at the expense of Greek, Cypriot and Egyptian interests in the region.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will pay a formal visit to Athens from January 2-4 and sign the Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) between Greece, Israel and Cyprus for the East Med pipeline with his Greek counterpart Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is planning a visit to Cyprus in early January as he returns from a trip to Asia, according to Turkish Cypriot media.

Pompeo will meet with Greek Cypriot leader Nicos Anastasiades and Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akıncı.

Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades plans to attend a ceremony in Athens for the signing of an agreement on the EastMed pipeline, after Greece announced Sunday the project will proceed despite the objections of Turkey.