US Senate Legislation Expands Energy, Defence Ties With Israel, Greece, Cyprus

The US would expand support for a trilateral partnership in the Eastern Mediterranean between Israel, Greece and Cyprus, as the three nations develop large natural gas fields in the region under legislation introduced by US Senators Bob Menendez and Marco Rubio. "The Eastern Mediterranean Security and Energy Partnership Act of 2019 would allow the US to fully support the trilateral partnership of Israel, Greece, and Cyprus through energy and defense cooperation initiatives including by lifting the embargo on arms transfers to the Republic of Cyprus", the release stated on Tuesday. The arms embargo was imposed in 1987 to ease tensions between Cyprus’ internationally recognized Greek government and a breakaway region supported by Turkey.