The aptly known 3+1, namely the US, Greece, Cyprus, and Israel reaffirmed their support for broader regional connectivity projects, already underway and future ones, in the framework of the India-Middle East-Europe Corridor, as reflected in the joint statement issued by energy ministers and the co-chairs of the United States National Energy Dominance Council, following their meeting on the sidelines of the 6th Summit for Transatlantic Energy Cooperation (P-Tec) held in Athens on November 6-7.
The Summit served as a platform for Greece to capitalise on its structured policy of natural gas infrastructure investments over the past few years and position itself as a gateway for receiving and forwarding American LNG to European markets.
Cyprus enters the picture through interconnections, including the Greece-Cyprus GSI project and cooperation with Israel on natural gas. Notwithstanding this rising tide of energy alliances, there is currently no prospect of reviving East Med, and the natural gas project that is of real interest to Israel is the one recently submitted by Energean for supplying gas to Cyprus via pipeline from the deposits Israel is exploiting.
So, instead of East Med, the interconnections focus on Greece as a gateway for American LNG and on Cyprus as a hub connecting with Israeli deposits.
In the joint statement, the four governments speak of a shared commitment to "promoting energy security and cooperation in the Eastern Mediterranean, including the operation of the Eastern Mediterranean Energy Center (that might end up in Cyprus, if certain conditions are met), as a key factor for the region's strategic stability and resilience."
The GSI
Without explicit reference to the Great Sea Interconnector, one paragraph of the joint statement relates to the project and can be interpreted as indirect US support.
"The ministers also reaffirmed their support for broader regional connectivity projects, both those already underway and future ones, within the framework of the India-Middle East-Europe Corridor (IMEC); in energy development; and in cooperation for the protection of energy infrastructure," the statement notes.
Israel has integrated the electricity interconnection with Cyprus within the IMEC framework. However, the joint statement does not resolve the existing complexity of Turkey obstructing the project.
Additionally, the four governments committed to leveraging the 3+1 format towards supporting the goal of diversifying the region's energy sources, reducing dependence on malicious actors and strengthening connectivity among like-minded regional partners.
They condemned Russian efforts to circumvent oil sanctions and finance the ongoing military offensive against Ukraine.
The ministers reaffirmed their commitment to cooperating on Europe-Israel energy infrastructure projects. This reference led to interpretations about the comeback of East Med, which are simply not valid.
The 3+1 ministers scheduled further deliberations in the second quarter of 2026, across the Atlantic, in Washington, "to further promote energy cooperation among their countries within the framework of the Eastern Mediterranean Energy Dialogue."
The commitment of meeting again clearly indicates the political will is there-the format must not remain on paper.