The leaders of Cyprus, Greece and Israel with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, underlined that all four countries are “great key partners for the security and prosperity” of the region.
The commitment was made at the 6th trilateral summit in Jerusalem between Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu, Greek PM Alexis Tsipras and Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades with the participation of US Secretary of State.
The summit emphasised the significance of the EastMed Energy Corridor and described their collaboration as one of the best in the world.
President Anastasiades described the summit as a “great moment” and thanked his “good friend, Prime Minister Netanyahu, for convening this very historic meeting in Jerusalem”.
Anastasiades said Pompeo’s presence is “tangible proof that our three countries constitute reliable partners of the US, particularly in the fields of energy and security, and an anchor of stability in the Eastern Mediterranean”.
“Our vision and actions for an Eastern Mediterranean Energy Corridor is an excellent example in this respect”.
Netanyahu said the three countries cooperate from firefighting to energy and are planning to lay down the EastMed pipeline from Israel to Cyprus, Greece and Europe that will benefit “our economies greatly, provide stability in region and prosperity to our peoples and also will diversify energy sources in Europe”.
The fact that the US Secretary of State was present “signifies the fact that the US supports this regional effort and it has done in many facets”.
Tsipras underlined the role of the three countries in the Eastern Mediterranean, noting that “together and individually we have become stronger”.
Pompeo’s participation, he said, underlines the US supports our strategic cooperation and this participation will strengthen our efforts and dialogue, especially in the field of energy.
Tsipras said the “idea is to create a safe and secure region, an area where there are a lot of challenges, and important opportunities for the people.”
At the same time, the fundamental idea is to create a safe and secure network to transport the energy resources of the region of Eastern Mediterranean to Europe, from Israel, to Cyprus, to Greece and Europe.
He said the establishment of the EastMed pipeline can help both the security and economic development of the region.
Pompeo said the US, Israel, Greece and Cyprus are “great key partners for the security and prosperity”.
“As we cooperate on these important energy issues, I know we will improve our security and prosperity even more broadly in our nations”.
We believe this deeply, Pompeo remarked, that when free countries with free markets act together to develop infrastructure for energy, greater security always follows.
“I know this too, if we do this right, we will attract the investments that will maximize these resources in a way that good infrastructure and open markets always do.”
