Houston, United States. Cyprus, Greece, Israel and the United States established the Eastern Mediterranean Energy Centre in Houston on Friday and agreed to develop a joint roadmap for future energy cooperation. The agreement was reached during talks involving Energy Minister Michael Damianos, Greek Energy Minister Stavros Papastavrou, Israeli Ambassador Yechiel Leiter and US Energy Secretary Chris Wright.
Roadmap for cooperation
According to a joint statement, the four countries will begin a series of working group meetings in the coming months to prepare a roadmap setting out objectives and actions in areas including energy security, offshore natural gas development, infrastructure, innovation and research.
The roadmap is expected to be approved before the end of the year.
Initial working group
As an initial step, participants agreed to establish a working group focused on cybersecurity and the physical protection of critical infrastructure.
3+1 Energy Dialogue
The meeting was held within the framework of the ‘3+1 Energy Dialogue’ and followed a commitment made during the previous ministerial meeting in Athens in November 2025 to reconvene in the United States during this year.
Regional projects and connectivity
The four sides discussed energy security, offshore gas resources, research and development, regional infrastructure and connectivity projects across the Eastern Mediterranean.
They further drew attention to the importance of regional energy and infrastructure projects linking Cyprus, Greece and Israel, describing them as initiatives that can strengthen economic cooperation and diversify energy supply routes.
Particular reference was made to the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC), which participants said would contribute to economic resilience and secure supply chains.
Commitment to coordination
The ministers reaffirmed their commitment to cooperation on energy infrastructure and said greater coordination can strengthen cybersecurity, improve the protection of critical facilities and deepen strategic ties between participating countries.
