From the Liveblog of
Wednesday, October 28, 2026
Turkey says it is willing to sign natural gas deal with Egypt
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleLazar Berman is The Times of Israel's diplomatic reporter
After Libya’s eastern parliament ratifies a controversial natural gas agreement with Turkey, the Turkish Defense Ministry says it is ready to sign a deal with Egypt that would expand Cairo’s maritime zone.
“We reaffirm our readiness to sign an agreement with Egypt on the delimitation of maritime zones in a manner consistent with our shared interests,” a ministry official tells reporters, “and if Egypt signs this agreement with our country, it will benefit from a disputed maritime zone exceeding 15,000 square kilometers in area compared to a potential agreement with Greece.”
Israel is a close natural gas partner of Egypt and Greece. The three countries are founding members of the East Mediterranean Gas Forum, which excludes Turkey.
The Turkey-Libya deal could see Turkish vessels exploring in waters claimed by Greece and Cyprus, both close allies of Israel.
In December, Israel approved a $35 billion deal to supply 130 billion cubic meters (bcm) of gas to Egypt through 2040.
The Times of Israel Community.