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The United States, Greek Cyprus, Greece and Israel have launched the Eastern Mediterranean Energy Center (EMEC), establishing a new framework for cooperation on offshore natural gas resources, infrastructure and research in the Eastern Mediterranean, according to statements from the participating parties.
The initiative was formalized through a Declaration of Intent signed on the sidelines of a ministerial meeting of the East Mediterranean Gas Forum in Washington. Hosted by Rice University, the center will operate as a permanent institution linking governments, universities and private-sector stakeholders from the participating countries.
Alongside the launch, the four parties agreed to develop a joint roadmap and convene working groups in the coming months, with a follow-up ministerial meeting scheduled in Israel before the end of the year.
According to a joint statement, the roadmap will focus on offshore natural gas resources, infrastructure, innovation and regional connectivity projects across the Eastern Mediterranean.
The U.S. Department of Energy said the initiative builds on the Eastern Mediterranean Security and Energy Partnership Act of 2019. It identified LNG infrastructure, energy transportation networks, grid reliability and critical infrastructure resilience among the areas expected to feature in the center's activities.
While Ankara has not officially commented on the launch of the Eastern Mediterranean Energy Center, Türkiye has consistently criticized regional energy and security initiatives that exclude it and Turkish Cypriots from decision-making processes in the Eastern Mediterranean.
The launch of the center comes amid renewed tensions over Eastern Mediterranean energy and maritime issues. Earlier this week, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned that Türkiye would respond strongly if the rights and interests of Türkiye and Turkish Cypriots were violated in the region, accusing some actors of pursuing "pipe dreams" in the Eastern Mediterranean.
Ankara has long viewed the Greece-Greek Cyprus-Israel partnership and the broader 3+1 framework involving the United States as initiatives that risk sidelining Türkiye's role in the region. Turkish officials have argued that durable energy cooperation in the Eastern Mediterranean cannot be achieved through arrangements that exclude key regional stakeholders.
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