Ohana Discusses Cyprus Energy Link and Parliamentary Ties in Rome Meetings
Separate meetings on October 15 put Cyprus cooperation and relations with Georgia on the agenda. The talks took place during a conference of parliamentary speakers in Rome.
Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana held separate talks with the speakers of the Cypriot and Georgian parliaments in Rome on October 15, with electricity cooperation, regional developments and parliamentary relations among the subjects discussed.
The meetings took place alongside the European Conference of Presidents of Parliament. Accounts released by the two partner parliaments placed the emphasis on continuing cooperation between their legislatures and Israel’s Knesset. Cyprus News Agency published its account on October 16.
Cyprus puts electricity cooperation on the agenda
Ohana and Annita Demetriou, president of Cyprus’s House of Representatives, discussed the strength of bilateral cooperation, including the Great Sea Interconnector electricity project. The Cypriot parliament’s account, carried by the Cyprus News Agency, said they also stressed the importance of parliamentary cooperation among Cyprus, Greece and Israel.
That three country format was discussed in relation to shared regional challenges. Ohana underlined the importance of Israel’s relationship with Cyprus as a friendly neighbouring country, according to the Cypriot account of the meeting.
The electricity project was one element of the conversation, alongside the broader relationship between the two parliaments. The statement described an exchange between the speakers, without announcing a new construction contract or a start of commercial electricity service.
What the interconnector would connect
The Great Sea Interconnector is intended to create an undersea electricity connection linking Greece and Cyprus, with a further connection to Israel. The project developer describes a system designed to move electricity in both directions and give connected markets additional supply options.
For Cyprus, a physical connection with the European electricity network is central to the project’s purpose. The planned links also concern the integration of electricity generated from renewable sources. Those are project objectives, rather than a description of an already operating cable between all three countries.
Discussion of the project in Rome took place at parliamentary level. Decisions about financing, construction and operation belong to the separate project process, so the speakers’ meeting should be read as diplomatic support for cooperation.
Georgia highlights established ties
In a separate meeting, Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili and Ohana discussed relations between their countries and the longstanding friendship between the Georgian and Jewish peoples, according to Georgia’s parliament.
The Georgian statement said the talks covered developments in Israel and the Middle East. Papuashvili expressed support for peace and stability in the region. The speakers also discussed Israel’s forthcoming parliamentary election and the development of relations between their legislatures.
Parliament to parliament contacts
Georgia’s account highlighted frequent visits at senior level and continuing cooperation between the two parliaments. Papuashvili was accompanied by members of the Georgian parliamentary delegation attending the Rome conference.
The Georgian delegation included Nikoloz Samkharadze, chair of the Foreign Relations Committee, and Levan Makhashvili, chair of the EU Integration Committee. Eka Sepashvili, deputy chair of the parliamentary political group People’s Power, also attended. Georgia’s parliament identified the three lawmakers as members of its delegation to the conference in the Italian capital.
