Elam member of the European Parliament Geadis Geadi on Tuesday extolled the Cypriot government’s deepening relations with Israel and the United States, as he addressed a plenary debate on the situation in the Middle East in Strasbourg.

“In the Middle East and in the wider region, there are currently two diametrically opposed paths. On the one hand, the forces of instability, fanaticism and violence, and on the other, the forces of cooperation, security and development,” he said.

He added that “there are extremist Islamic regimes, which in cooperation with various Islamic organisations, are causing chaos”, but that at the same time, “there is also the Republic of Cyprus, a member of the European Union, which is the key to the region, the way out of chaos”.

“Opportunities are also created through every crisis. One of these is the 3+1 cooperation scheme between Greece, Cyprus and Israel, with the participation of the United States,” he said.

This format for diplomatic deliberations, he said, “was created with the aim of strengthening stability and security of cooperation in the eastern Mediterranean region, particularly in the fields of energy, natural gas, defence and the economy”.

“In an era of geopolitical change, the protection of the Republic of Cyprus is a strategic necessity for Europe and western civilisation,” he said.

Geadi’s reference to the 3+1 format comes after it saw the creation of an Eastern Mediterranean energy centre last week, with Cypriot Energy Minister Michael Damianos having said that it will provide “significant technocratic support” for energy projects and infrastructure issues.

The agreement for the centre’s creation was signed by Damianos, Greek Energy Minister Stavros Papastavrou, Israeli ambassador in Washington DC Yechiel Leiter, and US Energy Secretary Chris Wright.

Government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis described the centre’s creation as a development of “particular political and geostrategic importance” and said that cooperation between the four involved countries provides “a stable framework for dialogue and coordination”.