E. VENIZELOS: It was a great honour and pleasure to host, here at the Greek Mission, my friend from Egypt, Mr. Shoukry, and my friend and colleague Mr. Kasoulides, the Cypriot Foreign Minister. This trilateral configuration is an exceptional tool for the political cooperation between us, because, as you can well understand, Egypt is a key country for anything having to do with the Arab world.
We have seen very specific proof of this in recent weeks, with the ceasefire in Gaza and the Egyptian initiatives in Libya. The role of Greece and Cyprus, as EU member states, in the stability of the wider region is always very important. From this perspective, our trilateral cooperation is a platform for stability in the wider region. Once again, I express my warm thanks.
S. H. SHOUKRY: Thank you very much, Mr. Minister. It is a pleasure to participate in this trilateral meeting on the Ministerial level. We are committed to this relationship and the establishing of our mutual collaboration with Greece and Cyprus. Moreover, we are committed to strengthening our cooperation on the bilateral and trilateral level, as well. We certainly have common aspirations and challenges, which we must meet collectively.
Our proximity in the Eastern Mediterranean renders it imperative that we be able to coordinate our positions and contribute positively, so that we can respond to the challenges we are facing and ensure greater security and stability in our region and have the potential to build a network for economic and political coordination. I am grateful for this opportunity to be with you and with our Cypriot friend, and I look forward to our also having meetings at a higher level in the coming months, so that we can establish this configuration.
E. VENIZELOS: This may be the right time to announce our next trilateral meeting, on the level of Foreign Ministers, in Nicosia, and also our common will and intention to hold a trilateral summit in Cairo as soon as possible.
I. KASOULIDES: I am very pleased that we have this opportunity, three countries in the Eastern Mediterranean, and countries such as Egypt – which is a key to stability in the region, as we saw with the effort towards the ceasefire in Gaza and the effort to find a political solution in Libya – and Greece and Cyprus, to be able to find ways to work together. And we have decided on practical ways to work together, so that we can contribute to stability and peace in our region and be present in a way that shows that we are not just looking on at events without responding.
September 27, 2014