Greece, Cyprus and Egypt Leaders Hold Trilateral Talks on Energy and Other Subjects of Interest

ATHENS, Greece, Oct. 12, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- In the fourth round of recent talks between Greece, Cyprus and Egypt, the Prime Minister of Greece, Alexis Tsipras, the President of the Republic of Cyprus, Nicos Anastasiades and the President of the Arab Republic of Egypt, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, met in Cairo and issued a common declaration.

Energy issues were discussed, and Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said, "We discussed the possibility of deepening our cooperation on renewable energy and transporting natural gas from the major reserves of Egypt and Cyprus to Europe and for the demarcation of our exclusive economic zones."

"Beyond this," stated Prime Minister Tsipras, "This trilateral cooperation is a strategic decision in pursuing peace, security, stability, and development in our fragile region. The Mediterranean nurtured some of the most important civilizations throughout history but is often at the epicenter of challenges in such areas as security, financial and migration.  Common goals and challenges lead us to cooperative solutions. We propose a model of specific action based on our geostrategic position at the crossroads of three continents."

Referring to regional challenges, Prime minister Tsipras added, "We need to respect international law and particularly the principle of good neighborliness as a basis for the development of the relations of the Eastern Mediterranean. It is extremely worrying that there are voices in our region, which move in the opposite direction, and even raise questions and challenge fundamental international treaties."

On the plight of refugees, the three leaders stated "solutions should be addressed regionally and comprehensively" placing emphasis on reducing incentives for irregular migration in collaboration with the European Commission, boosting socio-economic growth and creating opportunities, and also by acting to provide safe and legal resettlement of people.

The Heads of State and Government expressed concern over the escalation of violence and the deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Syria, especially in Aleppo, calling all parties in Syria to fulfill their commitments to restore a ceasefire and allow full access of humanitarian assistance to all besieged and hard-to-reach areas. To this end, the leaders called for the full implementation of the 9^th September 2016 agreement between the United States and Russia.

The leaders also offered full support of UN special envoy Staffan de Mistura's efforts to resolve the conflict through a political transition based on the UN security council resolution 2254 (2015) and the 2012 Geneva Communiqué, that meets the legitimate aspirations of the Syrian people.

Finally, the leaders reaffirmed their support for the ongoing negotiations for a solution for the Cyprus problem that will reunify the island in accordance with international law and the relevant UNSC resolutions. They highlighted that the solution of the Cyprus problem must address the concerns and aspirations of the Cypriots themselves without anachronistic and obsolete security arrangements, such as guarantees with the right of military intervention.

For more information please contact:

Thanos Papazoglou

Press Officer, Prime Minister's Office

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SOURCE Government of Greece