The strategic partnership between Cyprus, Greece and Israel was highlighted by speakers at the Israel - Hellenic Forum Cyprus Plenary 2023 that takes place in Nicosia.

Speakers at the session III of the Forum, entitled "Perspectives on the Network of Cooperation between Israel, Cyprus and Greece", were Marilena Raouna, Director of the Diplomatic Office of the President of the Republic of Cyprus, Ioannis Papameletiou, Ambassador of Greece to the Republic of Cyprus and Oren Anolik, Ambassador of Israel to the Republic of Cyprus.

The session was chaired by Ambassador Kornelios Korneliou who referred to the strategic relationship of the three countries saying that their cooperation strengthens the entire region. He said that this year it is expected that Cyprus will host the ninth summit between the leaders of the three countries, and spoke about the political importance of the 3+1 scheme (Cyprus, Greece, Israel + USA).

Taking the floor first, Director of the Cypriot President's Diplomatic Office, Marilena Raouna said that this cooperation has come remarkably far and said that this trilateral partnership is strategic and manifests the joint vision to work on tangible projects of shared interest in the key domains of the advanced political dialogue, energy and defence, crisis management and cyber security, innovation, business and academic programmes.

This academic conference, she added, is proof of our ever-growing common base of perception and of the acknowledgment of seeing eye to eye on a plethora of strategic issues as enablers of stability and security in our wider region and beyond.

The intensity of our engagement, she pointed out, is also evident by the fact that Israel was one of Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides' first visits abroad, indicative of his personal deep commitment to this partnership.

Raouna noted that advancing projects of developing a reliable energy corridor from the Eastern Mediterranean basin to Europe, projects such as electrical interconnections, pipelines for gas, cleaner energy sources and LNG terminals are central in our discussions.

Furthermore, she said that the three sides have also identified remarkable opportunities in fields like tourism, energy, but also maritime security.

These regional collaborations, she stressed, are not directed against anyone but are of an inclusive nature and open to any country that shares the same values.

Cyprus, she noted, is in support of a results - oriented dialogue between Israel and the EU. Concluding, she said that there is a shift in the EU perception as regards this challenging region, which is also a region of opportunities.

On his part, Ioannis Papameletiou, Ambassador of Greece to Cyprus, underlined the importance of tripartite cooperation in terms of maintaining the balance of the EU's Mediterranean policy and referred to the political events since the Barcelona Process.

He also made a historical review of the relations of the three countries, and the deep-rooted relations of the peoples, highlighting the positive change that has occurred in their relations. We have, he said, common values and common interests which with this tripartite cooperation have been further deepened.

He spoke about the strategic areas of cooperation, as well as the advantages that each state has which are in the interest of the other two countries. Israel, he noted, has a technological advantage, Cyprus and Greece have the shipping and connectivity sector. He also pointed out the contribution of the peoples to world history and humanity as well as the contribution of the Diaspora.

The Ambassador of Greece also emphasized the importance of the changes taking place in the Middle East region with regard to Israel's relations.

In his intervention, Oren Anolik, Israel's Ambassador to Cyprus, said that this tripartite cooperation is emerging as important for the stability, peace and prosperity in the region. The relations of the three countries have created a neighbourhood of cooperation in matters of security, environment, etc., he said.

He stressed that despite the changes that occur in the governments of the three countries since the beginning of this tripartite cooperation, the tripartite relations maintain a consistency and enjoy the strong support of public opinion.

He also spoke about the importance of Israel's relationship with the EU through Greece and Cyprus. He referred to the sectors of energy, trade, climate change, investments, while in relation to tourism he said that it cannot only develop the economies of the three countries but also deepen the relations between the peoples.

The Forum is organised by the Institute of International Relations (Greece), the Cyprus Center for European and International Affairs (Cyprus) and the B'?ai ?'rith International (Israel)

Source: Cyprus News Agency