I would like to thank, Nicos Anastasiades, the President of the Republic of Cyprus for his hospitality, and to express my sincere condolences for the loss of his mother, a difficult day for him. However, we are here today at a Summit that has now become an institution. It is the 4th Greece – Cyprus – Israel Trilateral Summit, the second one taking place here in Nicosia. And I think that a strategic partnership between the three countries is taking shape.
He asked me, in the morning, Benjamin, whether Tel Aviv is closer from Nicosia or Athens. And probably it’s Tel Aviv.
We are three countries that have the same waters, the Mediterranean Sea. We want the Mediterranean Sea to be a sea of peace, stability, cooperation and not of tension. This is the goal, if you wish, of this effort. To unite our forces to ensure prosperity, stability, cooperation between our countries, but also in the neighboring countries and the neighboring peoples of the region.
I have to say, our meeting here in Nicosia has as a main issue the emblematic, I would say, energy project and that is the EastMed pipeline. And, of course, a second project, the so-called “EuroAsia Interconnector”, the electrical interconnection.
EastMed will transport natural gas from the southeastern Mediterranean basin to Europe. And the cable will transport electricity. At the same time, the electrical cable will be in a structure, which may also have “fiber optics”. So, we are talking about a high quality interconnection project between the three countries.
In reality, however, we are talking about the energy and telecommunications routes of the future for the wider region as well as for Europe, which also contribute decisively to the diversification of energy sources, which is a key strategy of the European Union.
This prooject, I repeat, is not just an energy project. It is a project of utmost geopolitical importance. And in this sense, the fact that today we have agreed to sign the transnational agreement as soon as possible in 2018, this is what characterizes today’s meeting as highly constructive.
In addition, we have agreed on the energy infrastructure that will connect Israel with Europe through Greece and Cyprus.
We talked about the Renewable Energy Sector, which also presents important opportunities for cooperation.
We signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Technology, Information and Communication. This is an area in which we plan to focus on the following period, because it is rather crucial sector for the future.
While with regard to our environmental cooperation, we signed an Agreement on the Sub-Regional Plan to Address Marine Pollution from Hydrocarbons.
We, also, discussed extensively about our economy and cooperation in the high-technology sector, while stressing the importance of signing a Memorandum of Understanding between the Central Unions of Chambers of our countries.
However, I totally agree with what Benjamin said, apart from the electricity and gas pipelines, what is of particular importance to us is the pipes that connect our people and our cultures. Tourism is indeed an area that is a connecting link between our countries. I am particularly pleased that hundreds of thousands, close to half a million tourists from Israel, visit Greece each year. It’s a significant record. Greece is a welcoming country where one can feel like home, and especially our Israeli friends who visit us regularly.
A few months ago, I had the opportunity to welcome the President of Israel to Athens and Thessaloniki, where we even started the works on the construction of the Holocaust Museum in Thessaloniki, a city that is also a common connecting factor between the peoples because there is a common history and common historical roots.
Of course, our meeting gave us the opportunity to focus on the rapid geopolitical developments in the region, which directly affect all three countries.
The Israeli Prime Minister had the opportunity to inform us about developments in the Middle East. On the Middle East peace process, I expressed Greece’s firm conviction that efforts to resume immediate and substantive negotiations for a two-state solution that will ensure peace and security for both the Israelis and the Palestinians, it is necessary.
I, also, expressed the hope that the US, which undoubtedly has a crucial role to play in the negotiations, will take substantial initiatives in this direction by putting forward a specific resolution plan, a peace plan.
I congratulated the Israeli Prime Minister for the 70 years since the founding of the State of Israel.
And of course, we had the opportunity to thoroughly discuss developments that concern the Syrian region, which is plagued by a long-term conflict with high cost in human lives and of course the destruction of the country and the consequent increase in refugee flows, the consequences of which Greece has suffered as it is at the forefront of refugee flows.
Our goal, therefore, must be to maintain the territorial integrity of Syria and achieve a permanent ceasefire, which lays the foundations for reconciliation and to create conditions so that the refugees can return to their countries as soon as possible.
As you can see, we cannot discuss in Cyprus and not talk about the Cyprus issue. We expressed our support for the efforts of Nicos Anastasiades for a fair and viable solution to the benefit of all the people of Cyprus, both Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots. A solution, which is based on the decisions of the Security Council of the United Nations and in line with the status of Cyprus as a member state of the European Union, with elimination of guarantees and withdrawal of the occupation army.
In this context, we stressed that we are in favor of resuming the talks, always on the basis of the UN Secretary-General’s parameters.
I had the opportunity, while discussing these crucial geopolitical issues, to express my concern at the intensity of the Greek-Turkish relations recently, the provocative actions of Turkey in the Aegean and the Southeastern Mediterranean, in the Exclusive Economic Zone of Cyprus.
I stressed that Turkey must respect the sovereign rights of its neighbors, as derived from International Treaties and International Law. A position that I think is supported by of all three of us. And in this direction, I believe that we need to intensify our cooperation so that all neighboring countries can show respect for international law and good neighborliness.
The Israeli Prime Minister had the opportunity to express his concerns during our talks, his deep concerns about long-range ballistic missile testing by Iran.
We share these concerns. However, the view I have expressed is that a possible annulment of the Iranian nuclear agreement, a possible abolition of the Agreement, may lead the region to further destabilization, which will not be beneficial to anyone.
However, I think that the three countries are in a common understanding regarding the need to deepen our cooperation on security, stability and co-development in the Southeast Mediterranean region.
We are in a common understanding of the need to find ways to safely transport the energy sources of the Southeastern Mediterranean towards the European area. And we have found ways and we agree to deepen our discussions and our cooperation in order to ensure as soon as possible that this transport is protected, and find ways of safeguarding and cooperation that will shape a certainty of stability, security and peace in our region.
With these thoughts, today I am leaving more optimistic, if you wish than when I came, that our cooperation is progressing, has a strategic depth and can contribute to the creation of new positive data in the region.
Therefore, I sincerely thank President Anastasiades for his hospitality during this difficult day for him.
I am sure that the next steps, after today’s significant meeting, will be important and decisive.
The next meeting, if I’m not mistaken, will take place in Israel, a very special place, which, as explained by our friend Benjamin, is place of innovation. We want to follow Israel’s steps regarding innovation, exploiting the potential of the new technology. That’s why I look forward to visiting this place.
Therefore, I want to close by saying that today we made a substantial step and that we will continue this effort.
Thank you.
