Egypt Looks at Russian Gas Supplies

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi have discussed the possibility of the deliveries of Russian natural gas to Egypt, RIA Novosti quoted Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov as saying.

The presidents met on Wednesday on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in South Africa.

Egypt is facing a shortage of gas as a result of decline domestic output amid rising local demand.

Egyptian Oil Minister Osama Kamal said last November that industry would be allowed to import gas in the second half of 2013, RIA Novosti reported. Factories will be permitted to import a maximum of 1 billion cubic feet a day, he said.