Following the discovery of potentially the world's largest natural-gas field, announced by the country’s petroleum ministry on Sunday, Abdelaziz said that Cairo plans to suspend all natural gas imports for three to five years.
“Egypt respects the agreements that it signs and will implement all the projects,” the spokesman said.
Earlier in August, Russian Gazprom Global LNG Ltd. and Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company (EGAS) signed an agreement for liquefied natural gas deliveries to Egypt, envisaging gas deliveries until 2019.
The discovered natural gas reserves, with an estimated volume of about 30 trillion cubic feet, will provide Egypt with enough gas to cover its domestic consumption needs for at least ten years, according to the ministry's statement.