Cyprus, Greece, Israel and US reaffirm shared commitments

The foreign ministers of Cyprus, Greece, Israel and the United States reaffirmed their shared commitment to promoting peace, stability, and prosperity in the Eastern Mediterranean during a 3+1 teleconference on Monday.

Foreign Minister Ioannis Kasoulides participated in the 3+1 format teleconference together with his Greek counterpart Nikos Denias, Israel’s Yair Lapid and the US Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken on Monday.

During the virtual meeting, the ministers exchanged views and decided to intensify their cooperation in the areas of energy, economy, climate action, emergency preparedness, and counter-terrorism, contributing to resilience, energy security, and interconnectivity in the region, the four ministers said in a joint statement after the meeting.

The ministers also decided to develop a roadmap with tangible deliverables for the coming year and to set the stage for a follow-on meeting before the end of 2022.

They added that the 3+1 support additional initiatives such as the Negev Summit that promotes cooperation in the region.

In his intervention, Kasoulides highlighted the need to maintain the political momentum in the 3+1 format through cooperation programmes in various areas.

He stressed that no country is excluded in this network of cooperation, provided that there is respect for international law, as well as the Law of the Sea.

He informed them about Cyprus’ intention to host a ministerial meeting on blue economy issues and proposed the creation of a regional multinational hub for fire response.

Furthermore, the ministers condemned the recent horrific terror attacks against Israelis, including the May 5 terror attack in Elad.

The ministers agreed to a physical meeting in autumn.