据ZAWYA网开罗1月14日消息 周一埃及石油部长表示，在开罗举行会议的地中海东部国家同意建立一个论坛以成立一个区域性天然气市场，用以削减基础设施成本，并提供具有竞争力的价格。

声明称，该组织的目标包括“通过确保供需、优化资源开发、合理基础设施成本、提供具有竞争力的价格和改善贸易关系，创建一个符合成员国利益的地区天然气市场”。

这一声明公告将地中海东部转变为主要能源中心努力的一部分。

其他涉及的国家有塞浦路斯、希腊、以色列、意大利、约旦和巴勒斯坦。该石油部在一份声明中表示，其他地中海东部国家和过渡国家可能稍后加入该论坛。

东地中海天然气论坛将设在开罗，并将接受国际和区域组织的监督。

声明指出该论坛将支持生产国加强与该地区消费国和转型期缔约方的合作，利用现有基础设施，开发更多基础设施以适应当前和未来的发现。

它还将通过确保消费国的需求并允许与过渡国家一起参与该地区天然气政策的制定，从而使天然气工业各个阶段的参与者之间能够建立可持续的伙伴关系来帮助消费国。

9月，以色列和埃及购买了EMG管道39%的股份，为今年开始的具有里程碑意义的150亿美元的天然气出口交易铺平了道路。

近年来，埃及发现了包括地中海最大的天然气田Zohr在内的一系列重大发现，该国迅速提高了天然气产量，希望成为向欧洲出口天然气的中心。

吴慧丹 摘译自 ZAWYA

原文如下：

Eastern Mediterranean countries to form regional gas market

Eastern Mediterranean countries meeting in Cairo agreed to set up a forum to create a regional gas market, cut infrastructure costs and offer competitive prices, Egypt's petroleum ministry said on Monday.

The organisation aims to "create a regional gas market that serves the interests of its members by ensuring supply and demand, optimising resource development, rationalising the cost of infrastructure, offering competitive prices and improving trade relations," among other goals, the statement said.

The announcement is part of efforts to transform the Eastern Mediterranean into a major energy hub.

The others involved are Cyprus, Greece, Israel, Italy, Jordan and the Palestinians. Other Eastern Mediterranean countries and transitory countries may join the forum later, the ministry said in a statement.

The Eastern Mediterranean Gas Forum will be based in Cairo and will be open to monitoring by international and regional organisations.

The forum will support producing countries by "enhancing their cooperation with consuming and transitory parties in the region, taking advantage of existing infrastructure and developing further infrastructure options to accommodate current and future discoveries," the statement said.

It will also assist consuming countries by "securing their needs and allowing their participation with the transitory countries in the development of gas policies in the region, thus enabling the establishment of a sustainable partnership between the actors at all stages of the gas industry."

In September, Israel and Egypt bought a 39 percent stake in the EMG pipeline, paving the way for a landmark $15 billion natural gas export deal to begin this year.

Egypt has rapidly increased its production of natural gas and hopes to become a hub for exporting to Europe after making a series of big discoveries in recent years, including the largest gas field in the Mediterranean, Zohr.