The leaders of Greece, Cyprus and Israel met in Nicosia on Tuesday, in what was the fourth in a series of trilateral summit meetings to determine energy cooperation and discuss regional development in the Eastern Mediterranean.
Among the issues discussed by Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu, Greek PM Alexis Tsipras and Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades, were the role of Turkey in the region, the Cypriot issue, the Syrian crisis and tension in the Middle East.
The meeting took place two days before Israeli forces were attacked by Iranian forces in the Golan Heights, escalating tension between the two countries. Israel has been warning Iran against establishing permanent military presence in Syria and has been one of the most prominent opponents of the nuclear deal the country had signed with the US, before President Trump decided to pull his country off it.
Apart from issues relating to the Middle East conflicts, the trilateral meeting addressed the issue of international security, which is the next step after the energy agreements. Particular focus was given to the gas pipeline connecting Israeli and Cypriot deposits in the eastern Mediterranean with Europe – a particularly ambitious project that all parties see as a basis for further cooperation.
The trilateral meeting confirmed the three countries as being the most stable democracies in the region, particularly affirming Greece geopolitical role. Tweeting about it, the Greek PM emphasized on the importance of this cooperation as a way to “reinforce stability and prosperity of our countries, and the wider region, amid a period full of challenges but also of opportunities”.