Today’s trilateral meeting between Cyprus, Greece and Israel is a proof of the countries’ will to develop security and defence relations, said Friday Defence Minister Savvas Angelides.
At the same time, a declaration issued at the end of the summit said the ministers look forward to enhancing “trilateral defence collaboration for the mutual benefit of our countries in spheres of military cooperation, maritime counter-terrorism collaboration, defence-industrial cooperation and strategic consultations.
Angelides was speaking after talks with his counterparts from Greece and Israel, Panos Kammenos and Avigdor Lieberman respectively at the “ZENON” Coordination Center at the end of the second Trilateral Defence Summit held in Larnaca.
Kammenos said the second tripartite meeting today demonstrates “our commitment and determination to unite our forces and put into structure our actions so that we can avert any security-related challenge and the prosperity of our peoples.
Avigdor Lieberman, Defence Minister of Israel said the right way to solve all challenges the three countries are facing is consultations and cooperation at all levels.
The Cypriot minister thanked his counterparts and at the same time, expressed his gratitude for the tripartite meetings of the Defence Ministers of the three countries becoming an institution indicating “our willingness to further strengthen and develop relations in the fields of security and defence. Cyprus, Greece and Israel are today pillars of stability that promote security and cooperation in an unstable region which faces insecurity, terrorist violence and humanitarian crisis. ”
This kind of cooperation, he added as well as cooperation with other countries in the region, promote stability, handle provocations and promote sea and energy security.
Angelides said they discussed the progress in their trilateral affairs and the prospects to further develop for the mutual benefit of the three countries.
“We discussed regional security issues, possible areas of cooperation, and ways to further enhance our military cooperation, such as conducting joint exercises involving the armed forces of all three countries, cooperation on cyber defence and search and rescue. ”
Angelides further said they are aspiring to turn Eastern Mediterranean from a region of instability and conflict to a region of stability, cooperation, prosperity and development, exploiting the benefits of regional cooperation through a spirit of trust that will allow us to work constructively to promote our mutual interests.
He also thanked Kammenos and Avigdor Lieberman for immediately responding when asked by the Republic of Cyprus to help in putting out the fire on Thursday at Pyrgos Tilliria. He also thanked the two countries for their support in efforts to find a just and viable solution to the Cyprus problem.
In his remarks, Kammenos said that all three “reiterated today the political vision of our three governments for a long term, cohesive, deep, and effective strategic cooperation, fully respecting the national interests and sensitivities of each party, in line with internal and international law, and in a spirit of good neighbourly relations with the countries of the region”.
This second meeting of the Defence Ministers of Greece, Cyprus, and Israel that took place today is proof, he added, “of our commitment and decisiveness to join forces and focus our actions in order to prevent any challenge that could put our peoples’ security and prosperity at risk”.
The three, he said, expressed their concerns about the developments in the broader region of the Eastern Mediterranean and agreed that the risks and threats exported from the nearby conflict areas constitute a major challenge for the defence of our countries, as well as for the security of our peoples in the coming years.
They agreed that there is an even more imperative need for closer cooperation among the three countries’ Armed Forces in order to improve situational awareness, enhance their deterrent capability, as well as develop defensive capabilities adapted to the new threats.
Kammenos said the second meeting on Friday “produced actual results in the direction of the systematic enhancement and deepening of our defence cooperation, which also includes the meetings of the high level standing committee that has already been established and functions within our ministries”.
Furthermore, “we have started to expand the defence technical cooperation among Cyprus, Greece, and Israel with the first defence industry conference, which lays the foundation for synergy in the respective areas in order to promote our common operational requirements, as well as use and combine the capabilities of our defence industries”.
Concluding, he said he is “totally convinced that our countries’ security is guaranteed by the high level of our Armed Forces and their effectiveness, which is even more enhanced by international cooperation such as the one among Cyprus, Israel, and Greece”.
Israel’s Defence Minister Lieberman thanked his counterparts from Greece and Cyprus for the “very intensive agenda and very fruitful bilateral and trilateral talks”.
He said the three countries’ “relations are based first of all on our common values, as three democratic states in this part of the Mediterranean, we may have been facing the same problems and the same challenges, and its regional threats and it is much better to defend our regional threats together”.
Lieberman said there is “very close to us an ocean of violence, we are facing the rock states, terrorist organizations, illegal migration, the threats of illegal migration, traffic of terror and drugs, everything, and the right reason to solve all of them is the cooperation, consultations and cooperation on all levels”.
He expressed hope that they will be “to continue this very-very efficient discussion and activities”.
The declaration, issued after the end of the meetings said “Cyprus, Greece and Israel share a close and intimate relationship which stems from geographic proximity, common values and shared perspectives”.
“Taking into consideration regional challenges, increasing extremism, aggression and the threat of terror, the deepening cooperation between our defence establishments serves as an important part in our bilateral and trilateral collaborations”, the declaration stressed.
Furthermore, it said the three countries are looking forward to further developing and enhancing their trilateral defence collaboration “for the mutual benefit of our countries in spheres of military cooperation, maritime counter-terrorism collaboration, defence-industrial cooperation and strategic consultations”.
The next meeting will take place beginning of next year in Israel, hosted by Lieberman
