Lebanese President Michel Aoun called on TotalEnergies company to quickly begin exploring Block 9 in the Mediterranean sea, "to make up for the time lost due to indirect negotiations to demarcate the southern maritime borders."

In a tweet, the presidential office said that Aoun met a delegation from the company today after Lebanon reached an agreement this month with "Israel" to demarcate the disputed maritime borders after years of negotiations that were held under US mediation.

A few days ago, Aoun announced Lebanon's agreement to adopt the final formula prepared by the US mediator Amos Hochstein to demarcate the southern maritime borders. 

رئيس الجمهورية مستقبلا وفدا من شركة "توتال اينرجي": لبدء التنقيب في "البلوك رقم 9" سريعا للتعويض عن الوقت الذي انقضى بفعل المفاوضات غير المباشرة لترسيم الحدود البحرية الجنوبية pic.twitter.com/hoOoFAzJdA

— Lebanese Presidency (@LBpresidency) October 18, 2022

"Lebanon has become an oil-producing country, and what was once a dream has become a reality today thanks to our steadfastness," Aoun said, noting that Total "will have to start exploration to compensate the country for the years that have passed without oil and gas being extracted." 

Right after Aoun's statement, Hochstein stated he hoped TotalEnergies SE and ENI SpA could begin gas exploration in Lebanese maritime blocs within weeks.

The TotalEnergies-led consortium that won rights to explore two offshore blocks also included Russia's Novatek, but it pulled out last month.

For his part, Lebanon's caretaker Energy Minister, Walid Fayyad, pointed out Friday that Qatar has expressed an interest in joining a consortium, involving energy companies Eni and TotalEnergies, that is exploring oil in the eastern Mediterranean sea.