MOSCOW (Sputnik) — A Palestinian delegation may visit Moscow this year to discuss joint energy projects, including the possibility of Russian energy giant Gazprom developing the Gaza Marine field, Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad Maliki said Friday.
"We have invited Russian companies to Palestine, offered them to invest. Soon, perhaps, a Palestinian delegation will visit Moscow to discuss with our Russian partners prerequisites for implementing such joint projects," Maliki said following Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas’ visit in the Russian capital.
It was stated in documents released in January 2014 that Gazprom was assessing the feasibility of the Gaza Offshore Gas Field and had plans to develop the West Bank field near Ramallah. The project was estimated to cost $1 billion at the time, according to media reports.
Gaza Marine, discovered in waters controlled by the Palestinian National Authority in 2000, was due to be explored by British Gas, but the project ground to a halt due to a power dispute between Israel and Palestine.
