Statement to the Press by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Cyprus, Mr. Ioannis Kasoulides, at the end of the trilateral Ministerial Meeting of the Foreign Ministers of Greece, Cyprus and Israel
Athens, 5 April 2022
Dear Nikos, dear Yair,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Allow me on the outset to express my sincere delight to be present at this trilateral meeting today.
When we embarked on our trilateral cooperation mechanism seven years ago, this was precisely what we had aspired to; fostering a strategic alliance, where we could map common priorities and navigate through the many challenges, in a spirit of friendship and frankness.
Therefore, returning to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs after four years, it gives me a great satisfaction to see that we have reached this goal I have very much invested in.
Dear friends,
This is a dramatically changing world; the certainties of yesterday are no more. The unprovoked Russian military invasion in Ukraine, which we unequivocally condemn, is a proof of that. We have had the opportunity to discuss the issue and hear from Minister Lapid the latest on Israel’s commendable efforts to facilitate negotiations to stop the bloodshed.
At the same time, change is the keyword in the Middle East and the Gulf too, and fortunately with a positive connotation in this case. Only in the past two weeks, we have seen a flurry of diplomatic activity; the historic Negev Summit, the Sharm el Sheikh summit and the Aqaba meeting, all bring together significant actors of the region in an unprecedented manner.
I have always believed in the untapped potential of dialogue and integration of the region, but I could have never predicted this fast pace with which regional alliances would develop, becoming the new normal.
Undoubtedly, our own trilateral cooperation mechanism and the extended format with the participation of the United States, fit very well into this narrative and are a proof of the geostrategic importance and the inherent value of our partnership.
The problems of the region are far from being overcome, however. I cannot but refer to the recent terrorist attacks in Israel, which we denounce in the strongest terms and I wish to take this opportunity to express our solidarity to the families of the victims and the Israeli people.
Dear Yair, we are standing shoulder to shoulder with you.
And let me add the obvious; violence and terror, whether state-sponsored or not, cannot stop the monumental tide of regional cooperation. This, in my view, is the common denominator of all the efforts to regional integration, for which Cyprus will continue to work, feeding into collaborative efforts of fostering alliances on key areas, varying from energy to climate, and from emergency response to security and defense.
In this respect, we stand ready to engage in any initiative that aims to restore good neighbourly relations between the states of the region, based on mutual adherence to the principles of international law.
During our discussion, we have had the chance to review the latest developments as regards our energy cooperation which is seen under a new light in the midst of the war in Ukraine. Our three countries can and should be part of the solution of Europe’s quest for diversified, secure and cleaner energy supply from the Levantine corridor. We are proceeding with projects such as the EuroAsia Interconnector and the EastMed Pipeline, both of which have attracted significant support from the EU and the US, and we are confident that when materialized they will have an added practical and geostrategic value for the Eastern Mediterranean and the European Union.
Finally, I have had the chance to brief my counterparts, whom I wish to warmly thank for their support, regarding the latest developments around the Cyprus Issue. It is our consistent viewpoint that, once Turkey lifts the impediments to solving the Cyprus Question, we can and we will develop good neighbourly relations, benefitting regional stability and security.
As always it was a great pleasure to be with you today. I wish to extend my gratitude for the gracious hospitality extended to my delegation and myself by Minister Dendias.
I wish to cordially invite you to Cyprus for our next meeting, in order to prepare the next Trilateral Summit, to take place in Nicosia before the end of the year.