Statement to the Press by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Cyprus, Mr. Nikos Christodoulides, at the Trilateral Meeting of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Cyprus, Greece and Jordan
Amman, 8th December 2020
It always gives me a lot of pleasure to be in Amman, especially in such distinguished company, and I would like at the outset to express my deep appreciation to the Foreign Minister of Jordan, my good friend Ayman, for the warm hospitality afforded to us and our delegations. The fact that the three of us are standing here, side by side, in the midst of this unprecedented pandemic, says a lot about the importance we attach to our cooperation.
As already mentioned, today’s meeting with Ayman and Nikos falls within the scope of the strong trilateral partnership that we have established between our countries. We had the opportunity to review the progress that has already been achieved, and most importantly to start preparations in earnest for the next Leader’s Summit which is foreseen to be hosted in Athens, in the first half of 2021.
Moreover, we examined concrete ways in which we could further enhance and expand our cooperation, on the basis always of a positive agenda, for the benefit of the people in our countries, and with a view to strengthening peace, security, stability and prosperity in the broader region.
Within this context, and given the current circumstances, we agreed on the need to expedite the holding of joint, high level meetings between the three countries on issues of foreign policy, defence and security, as well as to expand our structured cooperation to cover economic cooperation and trade, with the joint engagement in both cases of our competent colleagues.
At the same time, I am convinced that the establishment of a Permanent Secretariat for our trilateral cooperation mechanism, in Nicosia, at the beginning of the year, will act as catalyst in the implementation of our decisions and the enhancement of regional cooperation. I am grateful to both Ayman and Nikos for their support in this endeavor and for responding positively to our call by appointing national coordinators and representatives to the Secretariat.
Besides, the participation of our three countries in the East Med Gas Forum, together with other regional partners, is a shining example of what can be achieved through dialogue, consensus and cooperation on the basis of International Law and respect for the principles of good neighborly relations. This is a model we shall strive to promote with all like-minded countries in the region.
Recognizing the substantial potential for benefits to all involved and to the region as a whole, we also reaffirmed with Ayman and Nikos our readiness to jointly visit Iraq at the earliest opportunity, in order to follow up on the promising discussions we have had with our Iraqi counterpart, geared at expanding our cooperation in a “3+1” format with Baghdad.
As you might expect, we also exchanged views on current affairs that are of shared interest, as well as on the challenges facing our countries, our broader region, and beyond.
I had, on my part, the opportunity to brief my colleagues on the latest developments regarding the Cyprus problem and the ongoing efforts by the UN Secretary General aimed at the resumption of meaningful negotiations from where the last process was suspended in Crans Montana, to which we are fully committed.
At the same time, I informed about the continuing illegal activities of Turkey in the Exclusive Economic Zone and continental shelf of Cyprus, as well as on the ground, with the provocative opening by Ankara of the fenced area of Varosha, in violation of the relevant UN Security Council resolutions.
We held a very open and constructive exchange of views on the latest developments in the broader Middle East and the Gulf region, including on the prospects for the Middle East peace process, and we compared notes on a number of regional issues that are of common concern, such as the situation in Syria, as well as in Libya.
Together we also took stock of the current state of play in EU-Jordan relations. Nikos and I both stressed once again that we see Jordan as a vital partner for the EU, being a pillar of stability and security in the region and beyond. The responsible way in which Jordan has managed the immense migratory pressures ― without seeking to instrumentalize the pain of refugees and migrants for its own gain, like other countries have ― is only one example of this. We therefore remain fully committed, on our part, to continue to actively support Jordan’s social and economic development, within the bilateral, trilateral and EU context, as we have done so far.
In this regard, we welcome the disbursement on 25th November of 250 million Euro to Jordan under the EU macro-financial assistance, which both Greece and Cyprus strongly supported. As I have mentioned, within the EU, we are always vocal, advocating for the need to further strengthen EU-Jordan relations. Jordan’s pivotal role in the region should be adequately reflected in the support received here from Brussels but also in closer engagement on regional and foreign policy issues.
On a bilateral level, I am pleased to note that as has been already announced, Cyprus shall be funding two awareness-raising campaigns by the Jordanian National Commission for Women Committee during the year 2021, as well as a number of other important projects that have not yet been earmarked. At the same time, responding to the multitude of challenges in the current international environment, and recognizing Jordan’s role in maintaining stability in the region, Cyprus has tripled its contribution to UNRWA for 2020.
I am optimistic that the imminent signing of the bilateral agreement on the Avoidance of Double Taxation, as well as the categorization of Jordan in a list of countries from which travel will be allowed to Cyprus as of January 15th, will add momentum to our dynamic bilateral relationship and stand us in a good place to drive full steam ahead once the pandemic starts to subside.
In closing, I would like to echo the message sent by my good colleagues and friends who are standing next to me: the ties and cooperation between Cyprus, Greece and Jordan are historically strong, and they are becoming stronger, more structured and more substantial every day. We are fully committed to their continued enhancement, for the benefit of the peoples of our countries, but also for the future of our region as a whole.
Thank you once again, dear Ayman, for the excellent hospitality.