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Egypt to negotiate sea border with Palestine

Egypt reached demarcation agreements with Greece and Cyprus in August.

Palestinian fishermen fish in the Mediterranean sea in Gaza City on May 10, 2019 a week after a deadly two-day escalation in violence between the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip and Israel. - Israel announced it is loosening restrictions on fishermen off the blockaded Gaza Strip by allowing them to travel up to 12 nautical miles into the Mediterranean one week after a ceasefire. (Photo by MOHAMMED ABED / AFP)        (Photo credit should read MOHAMMED ABED/AFP via Getty Images)
Palestinian fishermen fish in the Mediterranean Sea near Gaza City on May 10, 2019, a week after a deadly two-day escalation in violence between the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip and Israel. — MOHAMMED ABED/AFP via Getty Images

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Palestinian officials have taken the first practical steps to demarcate Palestine's maritime border with Egypt by forming a team of specialists to negotiate with Cairo. In September, the Palestinian Authority signed the charter of the East Mediterranean Gas Forum (EMGF).

Egypt reached maritime border demarcation agreements with both Greece and Cyprus in August before singing onto the EMGF, which includes Israel, Italy, Jordan, the Palestinian Authority and Greece. The forum aims to strengthen cooperation between the six member states and allow each country to explore its own natural resources in the Mediterranean Sea. These regional developments came as Turkey began drilling for natural gas in a disputed maritime zone with Greece.

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