Joint Statement of the Ministers for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Cyprus, the Arab Republic of Egypt, the Hellenic Republic, the Kingdom of Bahrain, the French Republic, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Minister of State for International Coopera
We the Ministers for Foreign Affairs of Cyprus,
Egypt and Greece, along with our counterparts of Bahrain, France, Saudi
Arabia and the Minister of State for International Cooperation of the
United Arab Emirates,
Met in Athens, on February 11,
2021 to exchange views on issues of common interest and concern, with
the aim of further strengthening our cooperation and actively
contributing to the consolidation of peace, stability and security in
the wider region.
In this context, we reiterated our
common adherence to International Law, including the UN Charter, UN
Security Council Resolutions and the United Nations Convention on the
Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) to which we are all signatories. We stressed our
strong commitment to fundamental principles enshrined therein, such as
the respect of the sovereignty, sovereign rights, independence and
territorial integrity of states, the peaceful resolution of differences
and rejection of threat or use of force, the non-interference in other
counties’ internal affairs and the freedom of navigation.
We
recognized that, in this critical juncture, overshadowed by the global
pandemic, the need to demonstrate solidarity and coordinate our efforts
in order to minimize the repercussions of this health crisis on our
economies, is all the more urgent.
In this light, we
expressed our readiness to promote result-oriented exchanges, as well
as joint actions and initiatives in such fields as energy, innovation,
digital economy, civil protection and people to people contacts. In the
same vein, we also explored possibilities for further cooperation in the
fields of science, agriculture, food security, academic education and
training, interfaith dialogue, culture and sports.
We
also exchanged views on major international and regional issues,
including developments in the Middle East Peace Process, the Cyprus
issue, Syria, Libya, Yemen and the Eastern Mediterranean.
We
agreed on this format of dialogue and cooperation, henceforth referred
to as “Philia Forum – Building Friendship, Peace and Prosperity from the
Mediterranean to the Gulf”, being effective, yet flexible and open to
other countries of the region and beyond that share the aforementioned
values and principles.
