The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) posted a video on Thursday, which is embedded below, of Coptic Egyptian business tycoon Naguib Sawiris supporting the import of natural gas from Israel.

In the transcript, Sawiris points out that Egypt used to export natural gas to Israel.

[Egypt] suffers from severe shortages in various fields. Take, for example, the bickering about importing natural gas from Israel. I don’t understand why people bring up all kinds of other possibilities. There is natural gas right next to me – why not import it?! Why was it okay for us to export gas to Israel, but it’s not okay to import from it?

When the interviewer asks Sawiris about security concerns, the businessman mocked him, asking, “What are they afraid of? That a spy might pop out of the gas pipe?” Sawiris also argued that Egypt no longer has any points of contention with Israel: “Besides, what issues are still pending between Egypt and Israel? There is only the issue of establishing a Palestinian state, but with regard to Egyptian –Israeli relations, there are no issues – we have regained our territory.”

Israel has signed long-term deals to provide both Jordan and the Palestinians with natural gas after discovering natural gas fields in the Mediterranean. Many Israelis see the newly discovered resource as being a spur for diplomatic engagement with its neighbors.

[Photo: MEMRITVVideos / YouTube ]