NICOSIA: Following meetings in Nicosia with his Cypriot counterpart Ioannis Kasoulides, Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib said Lebanon is considering new recommendations for the demarcation of its maritime borders with Israel.
The matter is of immediate concern to Cyprus because the maritime border dispute between Lebanon and Israel, which spans over 800 square kilometres of sea, has stymied the finalisation of a maritime border deal between Cyprus and Lebanon for years.
The United States, acting as a mediator between Lebanon and Israel, offered new ideas on maritime borders at the end of January, according to Habib. The plans, he claimed, "were better than the ones that had been submitted previously." The Lebanese Foreign Minister reportedly said that his country is willing to work with Cyprus on energy concerns whenever natural gas is produced.
Cyprus is the third country in the eastern Mediterranean region to exploit natural gas reserves in its exclusive economic zone, following Egypt and Israel. Licensing for gas exploration is currently underway in Lebanon.
Habib praised the tight ties that exist between Cyprus and Lebanon, thanking Cyprus for providing a safe haven for most Lebanese throughout times of difficulty in their homeland.
A trilateral cooperation pact binds Cyprus, Lebanon and Greece. Cyprus "looks forward to a fair and free parliamentary election process in Lebanon" on May 15, said the Cypriot Foreign Minister. Kasoulides also stated that the topic of Lebanon's stability was discussed by European Union (EU) countries, emphasising Cyprus' and the EU's willingness to "operate with all constructive political forces that will bring about changes, accountability, and responsibility towards the Lebanese people."
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