Presidential decree number 537 for the year 2019 was issued on July 4, approving the governmental agreement between Egypt and Cyprus to establish a direct natural gas subsea pipeline, according to State Information Service.

The pipeline willl transport natural gas from the Aphrodite gas field to  Egypt’s liquefaction facilities at Idku and Damietta, and re-export it as liquefied natural gas (LNG).

The agreement between the two countries was signed on September 19, 2018 in Nicosia and the Parliament approved it on March 11, 2019.

Under the agreement, the two parties do not have the right to impose in the conditions related to natural gas obtaining, usage, destination, transport, or supply.

The agreement states that the health, safety and environment (HSE) standards applied in the project should not be less than the European Union (EU)’s HSE standards.