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| President Michel Aoun welcomes Cypriot counterpart Nicos Anastasiades at Baabda Palace. |
BEIRUT: President Michel Aoun Monday lauded bilateral cooperation between Lebanon and Cyprus, calling for increased coordination in offshore oil and gas exploration.
"I encourage the governments of the two countries to raise the level of cooperation in the fields of oil and gas," Aoun said in a joint news conference with his Cypriot counterpart Nicos Anastasiades.
Lebanon and Israel are locked in a dispute over a maritime zone that is believed to contain large quantities of natural gas. Lebanon is demanding the demarcation of the area with the help of the U.N. and other concerned parties.
Technically and legally, the United Nations does not have the mandate to demarcate disputed borders between countries.
However, Lebanese officials insist that the U.N. has an interest in taking steps to avoid an open conflict between Lebanon and Israel.
