Palestine joined the 1991 Energy Charter Treaty on Monday, becoming the 65th country to sign the treaty. An international agreement, it establishes a multilateral framework for cross-border co-operations in the energy industry.
Palestine's ambassador to the EU, Leila Shahid stressed the importance of this step since it will facilitate regional cooperation regarding energy issues, pointing out the need of establishing energy sector in Gaza.
Through legally binding instruments, the treaty strives to promote principles of openness of global energy markets and non-discrimination to stimulate foreign direct investments and global cross-border trade.