Tripartite meeting of the Ministers of Foreign
Affairs
of Cyprus-Greece-Egypt, in New York
A tripartite meeting of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Cyprus Mr
Ioannis Kasoulides, of Greece Mr Evangelos Venizelos and of Egypt Mr Samej
Shourky took place on 26 September at the offices of the Permanent
Representation of Greece to the United Nations.
After the meeting the three Ministers gave a joint press conference
as follows:
Minister Venizelos : I am quite happy that I
am at the Greek Delegation with my friend and colleague the FM of Egypt Sameh
Shoukry and my friend Mr. Kasoulides, the Cypriot Foreign Minister. This
trilateral format is excellent instrument for our political cooperation because
as you understand very well, Egypt is always the key factor for everything in
the Arab world and we have some very concrete proofs in the last weeks with the
cease fire in Gaza and also with the Egyptian initiatives on Libya and the role
of Greece and Cyprus as countries members of the European Union for the
stability in the wider region is always very important. From this point of view
our trilateral cooperation is a platform of stability for the wider region. I
repeat once again my thanks and please take the floor.
Egyptian Minister: Thank you very much Minister. I am happy to participate in this
trilateral meeting on the Ministerial level. We are committed to this
relationship and to consolidating our mutual cooperation with both Greece and
Cyprus as we enhance in the bilateral and in the trilateral fields our
cooperation. We are certainly have joint ambitions and also challenges that we
need to meet and we must meet them collectively, our proximity in terms of the
Eastern Mediterranean makes it imperative for us to be able to coordinate our
positions and to contribute positively to meet the challenges that face us and
to establish greater security and stability in our region so that to provide us
the necessary ability to forge ahead of economic and political coordination. So
I am very grateful for this opportunity to be with you and with our Cypriot
friend and look forward in the coming months to even have higher level
trilateral meeting to consolidate this format. Thank you.
Minister Venizelos : Maybe it’s now the
appropriate time and momentum to announce our next trilateral meeting on the
level of Foreign Ministers in Nicosia and also our common willingness and
intention to organize the summit, a trilateral summit as soon as possible in
Cairo.
Minister Kassoulides: I am very glad that we have the opportunity the three countries in
the Eastern Mediterranean, particularly countries like Egypt who is the pivot
for the stability in this area and it has been proven so in the efforts for the
cease fire in Gaza and for the efforts of finding a political solution in Libya
but also as to Greece and Cyprus that we will be able to work together and we
have decided practical ways to work together in order to contribute to the
stability and to peace in our region and to be present in a way that shows that
we are not just following the events without reacting.
