Azerbaijan, Baku, April 23 / Trend /
Trend Arabic news service commentator Aygul Taghiyeva
Egyptian authorities announced the cancellation of the gas agreement with Israel on Monday. It is due to commercial considerations, namely the fact that Tel Aviv has not made timely payments for gas and also imported Egyptian gas at below market prices.
Among the key issues that attract world attention after the revolution in Egypt in February 2011 and the change of the leadership in the country, was the Israeli-Egyptian relations. Great relevance of this issue is also explained by the constant attacks on the Sinai pipeline, which occurred 14 times during the year.
Immediately after announcement of the agreement cancellation by the Egyptian Gas Corporation EGAS, Israeli media have begun to look for political motives of the decision, despite the fact that Cairo declared that the agreement was cancelled only for commercial reasons, and has no political motives. Several Israeli media called the cancellation of the agreement as a victory of Islamists.
Indeed, the refusal to export gas to Israel may be associated with the victory of the Freedom and Justice party, which is the political wing of the Muslim Brotherhood, in the parliamentary elections in Egypt.
Cancellation of the agreement may also be connected with the presidential race in the country in which the main candidates are representatives of the same party, and which often enough voiced the idea of breaking off relations with Tel Aviv after the victory in the parliament.
However, along with that, Cairo, which did not manage to ensure the safety of the pipeline between the two countries, as well as Tel Aviv were incurring the economic losses from the shortage of gas supply to Israel.
In addition, Egypt has recently further deepened cooperation with Turkey, relations of which with Israel has recently greatly worsened.
It is expected that on April 24 Egypt and Turkey will sign a definitive agreement on the beginning of shipping by Ro-Ro vessels. Shipping will be from the Turkish city of Mersin to the Egyptian port of Alexandria.
Turkey will use this route as an alternative to the Syrian on transportation. Ankara has also recently experienced a crisis with Iran because of short supply and high prices for gas imported into the country. Turkey even appealed to the Court of International Arbitration, in order to challenge the price of Iranian gas.
Last week, Turkish Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Taner Yildiz said the country can begin to purchase liquefied natural gas from Qatar starting this year. All this may reflect the fact that Turkey can replace gas from Iran by Egyptian raw material. Especially as Turkey has previously refused from Iranian oil and part of it was replaced by Libyan.
Egypt will be able to supply liquefied natural gas to Turkey in the volumes required by Ankara. Thus, Egypt will find a permanent partner in Turkey and get rid of the problems at the Sinai pipeline. Turkey, in turn, will provide an alternative supply of gas to the country, thereby strengthening energy cooperation with Arab countries in North Africa.
