The heads of government of Cyprus Nicos Anastasiades, Greece Alexis Tsipras and Israel Benjamin Netanyahu have stressed the importance of further enhancing their trilateral cooperation.
They were speaking after having signed a Memorandum of Understanding in Research, Development and Technology in the context of the Trilateral Summit, in Jerusalem, on Thursday. They also announced that the next and third Trilateral Summit between the two countries will take place in Thessaloniki, Greece, in 2017.
“This is a meeting of genuine friendship, there are shared values between us, we as democracies in the Eastern Mediterranean we have come to the conclusion quite a few years ago that we have so much to gain by cooperating with each other and we are doing that including the new agreement that we signed today,” Netanyahu said.
He also gave the example of the cooperation between the three countries in the fire fighting effort, first in Cyprus in the summer and more recently in Israel.
“It should be understood that this was invaluable help from both of you, deeply appreciated and we reciprocated when you had a recent fire in Cyprus,” he said, adding that “this is concrete example of how this cooperation actually saves lives but it can go well beyond that.”
He also said that during the Summit “we have discussed the formation of an original emergency multinational force, which would actually have a joint command centre, would involve not only our countries but more countries”, adding that the plan would be “to build these force for fire fights, earthquakes, floods, search & rescue.”
Referring to energy, he pointed out that it “is a very big topic, we have gas fields, we have joint interests, we know that we want to explore the development of these gas fields and the provision of the gas to the European market this is something which occupies our time and our attention and I hope we can move it forward.”
Netanyahu further expressed Israel`s willingness to cooperate in all possible sectors, referring in particular to Research and Development and tourism.
In his statements Cyprus President said that the adoption of the Jerusalem Declaration “proves beyond any doubt the multifaceted trilateral partnership the goal and vision of which is to enhance security, peace, stability and prosperity in the Eastern Mediterranean.”
According to Anastasiades it is “extremely important that today we expand our dialogue and we place more foundations for our cooperation in the key sectors of energy, combating terrorism, tourism, health, research and development and the crucial area of research and innovation.” He also spoke of the trilateral cooperation on environmental matters of particular importance.
Referring to the Cyprus issue he said that during a bilateral meeting he had with Netanyahu he briefed him on the latest developments in the ongoing talks to find a solution and expressed his satisfaction over the support offered by the state of Israel based on the relevant UN Security Council resolutions as well as the principles and values of the EU.”
We seek a solution, President Anastasiades noted, “which will reunify our country, will reinstate and fully respect the human rights and basic freedoms of all of Cyprus` legal residents, Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots and will not only end the military occupation but also abolish any guarantee or intervention right of any third country.”
Referring to the trilateral cooperation on energy matters he said that it constitutes a key pillar of the cooperation between Cyprus, Greece and Israel. Today we reaffirmed that the discovery of significant quantities of hydrocarbons in the Eastern Mediterranean can and should act as a catalyst for the developments of regional cooperation thus contributing to the stability and prosperity of the region, he added.
Both President Anastasiades and Prime Minister Tsipras referred to the two joint projects the electric sub-sea line “Euro- Asia Interconnector” and the EastMed pipeline.
During his statements Alexis Tsipras also spoke of the Cyprus problem noting that now more than ever “finding a just and viable solution of the Cyprus problem on the basis of UN resolutions is imperative.”
“I would like once more to publicly express my support of the efforts undertaken by President Anastasiades to reach a just and viable solution,” he stressed.
The Greek Prime Minister said that trilateral cooperation “constitutes a strategic choice, a key pillar of regional cooperation and a lever of growth.”
He said the talks in the context of the Summit will give all delegations the opportunity to review the progress so far but also further expand cooperation in the areas of energy, economy, tourism, health, education, research and technology and environmental protection. As he pointed out the joint declaration will showcase “our common goals and joint action.”
Referring to the recent fires in Israel he expressed Greece`s solidarity to the Israeli people and his satisfaction and pride that Greek pilots were able to protect Haifa from the blaze.
He also welcomed Netanyahu`s proposal on the establishment of a multinational force of cooperation on matters of civil protection and protection from natural disasters.
On the trilateral energy cooperation Tsipras said that “our aim is for Greece to become a transit energy centre for Israeli and Cypriot natural gas on its way to Europe.”
