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| Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and Gus Bilirakis |
With energy exploration and offshore drilling becoming an increasingly important part of the economy of Cyprus, two Florida Republicans are pushing for increased American ties with that Mediterranean nation.
Cyprus has found promising results in exploring the [Aphrodite] gas field in the eastern Mediterranean. So has Israel. From her perch as chairwoman of the U.S. House Middle East and North Africa Subcommittee, U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., teamed up with U.S. Rep. Randy Weber, R-Texas, the chair of the U.S House Science, Space, & Technology Committee, earlier this month on a hearing on “Eastern Mediterranean Energy: Challenges and Opportunities for U.S. Regional Priorities.”
Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., noted that she joined Weber, U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis, R-Fla., and U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-NY, in visiting Israel and Cyprus back in June.
