The year 2018 saw the translation of companies’ interest in the Eastern Mediterranean – following the discovery of Zohr, in Egypt, in 2015 – into concrete projects, and the confirmation of the region’s potential with a new and promising discovery …
Oil & Gas in East Med: 2018 roundup and what to expect in 2019 Read More »
As the final preparations for the May 8 trilateral summit between the heads of State of Cyprus, Israel and Greece were being laid out – the fourth such summit in just over two years, with so far, more words than …
Aphrodite’s blues: Cyprus and Israel yet to agree over shared gas reservoir Read More »
The country’s finances were in disarray. The Finance Minister flew to Moscow in a last-ditch attempt to seal a deal that would secure Russia a stake in its offshore gas resources, in return for a financial support that would spare …
Lessons from Cyprus: Lebanon needs to manage oil & gas expectations Read More »
The comments made by Israel’s Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman at a Tel Aviv conference on January 31 sparked outrage in Lebanon. It brought the issue of the maritime border dispute between Lebanon and Israel back into the spotlight and managed …
The maritime border dispute between Lebanon and Israel explained Read More »
Onesiphoros, probably the most eagerly awaited drilling in East Med this year, left many with mixed feelings. After a series of hiccups and delays, Total finally initiated exploratory drilling in Cyprus, having also embarked Eni on board, an inestimable asset …
Cyprus Energy, Oil and Gas Summit 2017 Read More »
This article was written for the August 2017 edition of Executive Magazine.
On June 22, Israel’s Energy Ministry announced that the deadline to place bids in the country’s first offshore licensing round would be pushed back until November 2017. …
Can Lebanon or Israel replicate the success of Cyprus’ third offshore licensing round? Read More »
This article was published in the May 2017 edition of Executive Magazine.
There’s no shortage of headlines about Russian grand design for the Eastern Mediterranean. It predated Russia’s military intervention in Syria, but setting a foot in the region, …
Russia’s interest in Eastern Mediterranean gas resources has yet to take shape Read More »
This paper was written for King’s College London, European Centre for Energy and Resource Security (EUCERS), “Reflections” Working Paper Series, Volume 3, Spring 2017.
The discovery of substantial gas reserves in the Eastern Mediterranean is infusing new dynamics into …
The fragile dynamics of establishing a new state of affairs in the Eastern Mediterranean Read More »
Cyprus’ Minister of Foreign Affairs Ioannis Kasoulides is expected in Beirut on November 09, 2016, along with his Greek and Bulgarian counterparts Nikos Kotzias and Daniel Mitov. Middle East Strategic Perspectives seized this opportunity to ask the Cypriot minister about …
The oil and gas deal between Speaker Nabih Berri and Foreign Affairs Minister Gebran Bassil in July was initially met with enthusiasm, which gradually subsided as it failed to push for the adoption of the missing decrees. Expectations were misplaced. …
Lebanon’s oil & gas sector: stoking fears to counter indifference Read More »
The Republic of Cyprus officially launched its third licensing round for hydrocarbon exploration on March 24, 2016. Blocks 6, 8 and 10 are open for licensing, and the application deadline is set for July 22, 2016, four months after the …
Cyprus’ third licensing round: Questions and observations Read More »
On February 16, the Council of Ministers approved a third licensing round for offshore oil and gas exploration, which paves the way for launching the preparatory process.
Despite difficult market conditions, Cyprus hopes to build on the positive momentum created …
Cyprus to launch a third licensing round… Is the timing right? Read More »