Italy and Israel are cooperating on sourcing gas from the eastern Mediterranean and developing renewables to reduce dependence on Russian gas imports and to speed up the green transition drive.
"On the energy front, we are working together on utilising the eastern Mediterranean's gas resources and to develop renewable energy sources," Italy's premier Mario Draghi said at a joint press briefing in Jerusalem after talks with his Israeli counterpart Naftali Bennett.
"We want to reduce our dependence on Russian gas and accelerate the energy transition to meet the climate targets that we have set ourselves," Draghi added.
Draghi thanked Israel for its attempts at mediation regarding Russia's 109-day-old assault on Ukraine. The invasion has led to stinging international sanctions against Moscow including an embargo on crude oil imports that will take full effect by end-2022.
In March, the EU committed to reducing Russian gas imports by two-thirds within a year. Europe currently relies on Russia for about 40% of its gas needs.
