Joint
Press Release after the trilateral meeting
of the
Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Cyprus,
the
Arab Republic of Egypt and the Hellenic Republic
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of
Cyprus, Mr Ioannis Kasoulides, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Hellenic
Republic, Mr Nikos Kotzias and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic
of Egypt, Mr Sameh Shoukry, held a trilateral meeting yesterday, 29 September
2015, in New York. This meeting took place for the third consecutive year.
The Ministers have reaffirmed the mutual commitment of
the three Governments to this tripartite consultations mechanism and to an
enduring partnership and cooperation at the service of peace, stability and
prosperity of the eastern Mediterranean, as enshrined in the Joint Declarations
issued following the High Level Trilateral Summits of Cairo of 8 November 2014
and Nicosia of 29 April 2015. In this context, the Ministers reaffirmed their
commitment to constantly work towards enhancing their tripartite consultation at
all levels.
The Ministers reviewed the relationship between the
European Union and Egypt, noting the mutually beneficial nature of this
partnership. They welcomed the willingness of Egypt to engage in closer
cooperation with the European Union in various political and economic areas.
They agreed on the need for the European Union to recognize the real situation
in Egypt, to support Egypt politically and economically and in its fight against
terrorism and for further exchanges in the areas of trade, crisis management and
on political consultations on regional issues, acknowledging Egypt’s pivotal
role for the security and stability in the Eastern Mediterranean and the wider
region.
They reviewed developments in the field of fighting
international terrorism through concerted, comprehensive and collective action
by the international community. In this context, they reaffirmed their
commitment to the collective international effort to combat Da’esh, as well as
other terrorist groups, and underscored the need to address shortages in the
effort to end the flow of foreign terrorist fighters and the provision of
financial and military support to terrorist groups.
They agreed on the urgent need to
address the refugee crisis and the increased migratory flows as a result of the
ongoing turmoil in our neighborhood. They further stressed the need for a
holistic approach that addresses the root causes of the problem, especially the
resolution of conflicts. The three countries affirmed their commitment to exert
every effort at their disposal to address –as a matter of priority- the
humanitarian aspect of the crisis by preventing further loss of life at sea in
cooperation with the countries of origin and transit, in order to combat the
activities of smugglers. They expressed their readiness to contribute towards
addressing the humanitarian aspects of the ongoing refugee crisis in cooperation
with all countries concerned.
With regard to Syria, they expressed their support to
the efforts of the United Nations Special Envoy, Mr Stefan de Mistura, to revive
the political process. They also emphasized the need to continue supporting
regional countries against spill-over effects of this crisis and extend their
support to the Egyptian efforts to facilitate consensus among the Syrian
opposition groups with a view of promoting a political solution in the Syrian
crisis according to the Geneva Communiqué.
On Libya, they expressed their support to the efforts of
the UNSG Special Representative, Mr Bernardino León, and to the elected
Parliament and its affiliated Government, until the eventual materialization of
a holistic national unity Government. They expressed deep concern over the
security situation in Libya and called once again for the implementation of a
counter-terrorist strategy in parallel to the political dialogue and
reconciliation process and the implementation of the relevant Security Council
resolutions.
They expressed their strong support for the legitimate
Government of Yemen and for the preservation of its unity and territorial
integrity. UN-led efforts complemented by the Gulf Cooperation Council are the
only way forward on the basis of the relevant Security Council Resolutions. It
is imperative to combat extremist and terrorist groups, to ensure the protection
of civilians and allow unrestricted access to humanitarian aid for the civilian
population.
On Iraq, they reaffirmed their support to the Government
of Iraq in its effort to achieve stability and its fight against terrorism and
expressed their full support to the quest of the Government and the people of
Iraq towards political cohesion, tranquility and peace.
They welcomed the agreement reached by the E3/EU+3 and Iran in Vienna
on 14 July 2015 on the nuclear program of Iran, after more than two years of
intense and vigorous negotiations, which is an important development and stressed the need for its faithful and complete
implementation. They expressed their hope that the agreement will be a step
towards the establishment of a Nuclear Weapons Free Zone in the Middle
East.
They called for a just, comprehensive and lasting peace
settlement in the Middle East based on the relevant United Nations Security
Council resolutions, the establishment of a sovereign, viable and contiguous
Palestinian state on the territories occupied since 4 June 1967 with East
Jerusalem as its capital, and living in peace and security with all its
neighbors, in accordance with the positions and initiatives taken by the
European Union and the Arab League. Such a settlement remains the only guarantee
to avoid the recurrence of innocent civilian deaths, destruction and heightening
tension. They expressed their support for the resumption of negotiations to
achieve a comprehensive settlement on the basis of the two-state solution and
they welcomed the intention of the International Quartet to work more closely
with key Arab countries. In this context, they call for the immediate end to the
escalation at the Al-Aqsa Mosque and urge the international community to uphold
its responsibilities to protect the holy sites in the occupied Palestinian
territories.
They expressed their resolve to
strengthen their cooperation, so that the discovery of important hydrocarbon
reserves in the Eastern Mediterranean can serve as a catalyst for regional
cooperation and prosperity. They stressed that this cooperation is founded upon
mutual adherence to well-established principles of International Law and the UN
Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). They particularly underscored the
importance of the recent discovery of the “Zohr” gas field in Egypt’s Exclusive
Economic Zone. They agreed to proceed expeditiously to negotiate the outstanding
issues related to the delimitation of their adjacent maritime zones.
They
reaffirmed their unwavering support to the ongoing negotiations for a solution
to the Cyprus problem that will reunify the island in accordance with
international law, and the relevant United Nations Security Council Resolutions.
Such a settlement would not only benefit the people of Cyprus as a whole, but
would also significantly contribute to the stability and peace in the
region .
They expressed concern with regard to
the destruction and attacks against the cultural heritage of countries in the
Middle East and the organized looting and illicit trafficking of cultural
objects, which has a dramatic effect in the invaluable, historical heritage of
the region. They shared the experiences of their own countries on this alarming
phenomenon and underlined their commitment to continue working towards
countering the destruction, looting and trafficking of cultural property. They
concurred on the need for a robust UNSC Resolution that would apply universal
limitations on the trade and transfer of artefacts, originating from all
conflict zones, with the obligation of proof of legitimate trade resting upon
the traders, auction houses and buyers and not on the originating state.
Our three countries, convinced of the
strategic nature of this trilateral cooperation, will continue working closely
towards unleashing the full potential of their cooperation, to the benefit of
their peoples and the wider region.
