Cairo is a site rich in world history, so it’s fitting that the Eastern Mediterranean states of Egypt, Cyprus, Greece, Israel, Italy, Jordan and the Palestinian Authority chose it as the backdrop as they took the historic step of forming the Eastern Mediterranean Gas Forum. Designed to help develop new natural gas discoveries in the region, the forum’s goals include building the necessary energy infrastructure to bring the states’ offshore resources to Europe and, potentially, the world. The forum will also build on existing tripartite energy alliances that Egypt and Israel have formed separately with Greece and Cyprus, as well as a gas export deal from Israel to Egypt.