Foreign Ministers of Cyprus-Greece-Egypt
1. The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Greece,
H.E. Mr. Evangelos Venizelos, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Arab
Republic of Egypt, H.E. Mr. Sameh Hassan Shoukry and the Minister of Foreign
Affairs of the Republic of Cyprus H.E. Mr. Ioannis Kasoulides, held a trilateral
meeting today, 29 October 2014, in Nicosia. This is the third such meeting
between Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the three countries.
2. One of the main purposes of the meeting was to prepare a Cyprus,
Egypt and Greece trilateral meeting to take place at Heads of State/Government
level on 8 November 2014 in Cairo.
3. Issues of mutual interest, including recent developments on the
Cyprus issue, the political transition in Egypt, and the regional impact of the
developments in the Middle East (Syria, Iraq, ISIL/extremism threat, Libya,
Gaza, MEPP) were also discussed.
4. In expressing their deep concern at the proliferation of terrorism
across the region, and in particular at ISIL`s advance, threatening even our
immediate neighborhood, the three Ministers reiterated their commitment to
cooperate on efforts by the international community to impede the flow of
foreign fighters, control ISIL financing and expose ISIL’s true ideology.
5. The Ministers were particularly dismayed by the recent terrorist
attack against a military checkpoint in the Sinai, which caused significant
human loss. The serious incident
highlights that terrorism is clearly a threat that transcends national
boundaries.
6. The three sides reiterated their support to the Egyptian people’s
quest for democracy and prosperity and the implementation of the road map,
including its last phase, the holding of the upcoming parliamentary elections.
They also highlighted the importance, in this process, of the fight against
terrorism in Egypt.
7. They considered the progress of the current mechanism of trilateral
political consultations and expressed the view that it could serve as a model
for regional dialogue and cooperation, contributing to the consolidation of
peace, stability and prosperity in the Eastern Mediterranean; this trilateral
mechanism, as a positive factor in the overall framework of the broader region,
evidently is not to function opposite to any other country of the area.
8. They also agreed to expand the dialogue to other levels, including
through close coordination and cooperation in the framework of multilateral
fora, as well as on efforts to further promote relations between the EU and the
Arab world.
9. The Ministers deplored the recent illegal actions perpetrated within
Cyprus’s EEZ, as well as the unauthorized seismic operations being conducted
therein. They underlined that any unilateral actions further undermine the
stability and security of the Eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East
area.
10. They stressed the importance of the respect for the sovereign rights
and jurisdiction of the Republic of Cyprus over its EEZ and called on Turkey to
cease all seismic survey operations underway within the maritime zones of Cyprus
and refrain from similar activity in the future.
11. They also underlined their Governments’ commitment and respect to
international law, including the UN Convention of the Law of the Sea, to which
all three countries are State-Parties. In this regard, they expressed the
position that regional security, stability and prosperity for the benefit of the
peoples of the region, is better served through the adherence of by all
countries concerned to well established principles of international law.
12. The three Ministers reiterated their shared conviction that the
discovery of important hydrocarbons reserves in the Eastern Mediterranean could
and must serve as a catalyst for a broader cooperation on a regional level,
contributing thus to the peace and stability in the region.
13. Finally, in highlighting the regional importance of cooperation on
energy and the intensification of exploration activities in the eastern
Mediterranean, they expressed their eagerness to jointly work on the protection
of the marine environment of the Mediterranean Sea against pollution resulting
from hydrocarbon operations.
14. Recognizing that tourism is a vital component of the economies of all
three countries, they agreed to work closely together with a view to enhancing
tourism cooperation including developing joint tourism packages and enhancing
the maritime connection between the three countries. Joint tourism promotion, with the
involvement of both state and private actors, could facilitate travel and
tourism visits between and among their respective destinations as well as from
foreign markets.
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