Israel and Cyprus signed deal demarcating sea borders

The intention behind the signing is to facilitate a search for mineral deposits in the east Mediterranean where huge natural gas reserves have been discovered
 
Cyprus and Israel signed last week an accord demarcating their maritime borders to facilitate offshore gas exploration.
 
Cyprus Foreign Minister Markos Kyprianou and Israel's Infrastructure Minister Uzi Landau signed the deal in Nicosia, on Friday.The intention behind the signing is to facilitate a search for mineral deposits in the east Mediterranean where huge natural gas reserves have been discovered.
 
The Israeli embassy in Cyprus said in a press release earlier Friday that the agreement would help secure the country's economic interests in the Mediterranean, and clarify "the precise location of Israel's maritime borders."
 
Cyprus has similar agreements with Egypt and Lebanon, but the Lebanese parliament has yet to ratify the deal.