Trilateral talks between Greece, Cyprus and Egypt concluded in Athens with the signing of a declaration in which the three countries agreed to work closer on security and energy issues.
 
Wrapping up the trilateral summit, Prime Minister of the Hellenic Republic, Alexis Tsipras, President of the Arab Republic of Egypt, Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi, and President of the Republic of Cyprus, Nikos Anastasiades, noted in a joint statement the continuous and significant progress being made at various levels of cooperation, including that of peoples with long-standing ties and of countries in the same geographical area with common understanding and approach on a number of issues.
The three leaders issued a joint declaration pledging to deepen trilateral cooperation on all fronts: “Our 3rd Trilateral Summit underlines our well-established and continuous tripartite partnership aiming at promoting peace, stability, security and prosperity in the Eastern Mediterranean in various fields (political, economic, trade, culture, tourism)” the Athens declaration said, making note of the mutually beneficial nature of the EU–Egypt relationship and stressing the need for the EU to support Egypt politically and economically (including its fight against terrorism) and acknowledging its pivotal role for the security and stability in the East Mediterranean region.
 
The three leaders also agreed to establish a standing joint committee to work on tourism, investment and energy projects of trilateral interest, including cooperation in the shipping industry and the linking of their ports. As regards the energy sector, they agreed to accelerate negotiations relating to the delineation of the three countries’ adjacent maritime zones and explore the potential for new pipelines in the region, depending on the level of gas reserves found in the eastern Mediterranean.
 
See also from Greek News Agenda: Egyptian President in Athens

TAGS: ENERGY | FOREIGN AFFAIRS | GOVERNMENT & POLITICS | SHIPPING