Cyprus could supply the European Union with natural gas much earlier, if Brussels strengthened its support for the development of the supply infrastructure, President Nicos Anastasiades said in an interview published in the Sunday edition of the German newspaper Die Welt.

As reported by Cybc, Anastasiades pointed out that there are huge deposits of natural gas off the coast of Cyprus, adding that the country could contribute to the effort to make the European Union independent of Russian energy supplies.

The president indicated that there is an opportunity for Brussels to find ways of encouraging gas companies operating in the eastern Mediterranean region in order to speed up the procurement process to the European Union.

In the interview, which he gave during his recent visit to Berlin, Anastasiades also referred to Turkey’s provocative behaviour, which is, as he stressed, a significant obstacle to the start of gas supply, and stressed that Turkey is violating the international Law of the Sea by conducting illegal test drilling off the coast of Cyprus.