Nikos Christodoulides, Nikos Dendias, and Yair Lapid, the respective foreign ministers (FMs) of Cyprus, Greece, and Israel, met in Jerusalem on Friday and expressed concern over “extremely worrying” global developments, including religious fanaticism.
The trio also emphasised the importance of a world order based on peaceful co-existence, moderation, prosperity, and international law as the ethos of their alliance–representing the “circle of life,” a term phrased by Israeli FM Lapid.
To this end, Greek FM Dendias said, “Unfortunately, we also see a vicious circle contrary to this circle of life. Religious fanaticism, terrorism, an arc of fundamentalism spanning North Africa to the Eastern Mediterranean and going as far as Central Asia and Afghanistan.”
Moreover, the leaders highlighted the significance of the Taliban’s capture of Afghanistan and Turkey’s association with and recognition of the Taliban. In a veiled criticism of Turkey, Dendias cited “countries in the neighbourhood…that try to revive old empires…old understandings.” Dendias added, “And they’re using many tools. Military incursions in other countries, meddling in the internal affairs of other countries, asymmetrical warfare, proxy warfare. And, of course, sometimes they instrumentalise migration, which is unacceptable. Our common effort is that those efforts should never succeed.”
Additionally, the leaders expressed concern over Palestinian Islamic fundamentalist group Hamas’ approach towards the Taliban. Considering Hamas’ proximity to the three nations, its association with the Taliban poses a threat to their safety and security.
Although their discussions centred mostly around religious fanaticism, including Islamic fundamentalism, the ministers did not touch upon the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict.
Apart from their alliance based on shared values, culture and an effort to counter religious fanaticism, Dendias expanded upon their plan for amplifying trilateral ties based on energy cooperation and a collective coalition against climate change.
The three nations have already signed a tripartite energy memorandum called the ‘The Energy Triangle’–an exclusive natural gas extraction plan from the energy fields between Greece and Cyprus. In this regard, the trio advanced their talk on energy in the context of climate change.
“I have to say that this is something that has created a very positive element, our cooperation, to address climate change and the results of climate change. I will meet with the Israeli Minister of Energy, Karine Elharrar, to speak about energy cooperation, interconnectivity, renewable gas. We can create a lot of things, beneficial for our three countries, for the region and also for Europe,” Dendias said. He also thanked his Israeli and Cypriot counterparts for their assistance during the wildfires in Greece.
Furthermore, Lapid stressed that “this trilateral alliance is a strategic asset for all of us” as it “strengthens our economy, security, and international standing.”
Affirming the close ties between the three nations after the meeting, Christodoulides tweeted, “Our meeting is a visible confirmation of the strategic nature of this cooperation, that is here to stay and more importantly, to continue growing.”
Cyprus, Greece, Israel Express Concern Over Turkey and Religious Fanaticism
The foreign ministers of Cyprus, Greece, and Israel met in Jerusalem on Friday and expressed concern over rising religious fanaticism across the world.
August 23, 2021
SOURCE: THE GREEK HERALD