Joint Press Conference by the President of the Republic, the President of Egypt and the Prime Minister of Greece, in Cairo 09/11/2014 The President of the Republic Mr. Nicos Anastasiades, the President of Egypt Mr. Abdel Fattah Al Sisi and the Prime Minister of Greece Mr. Antonis Samaras, held yesterday, a Tripartite Summit Conference in Cairo. After the Conference the two Presidents and the Prime Minister gave a joint press conference. Speaking at the press conference through an interpreter, the President of Egypt stated that today’s Summit Conference foresees the strengthening of the historical and special bonds among the three countries. He added that “Egypt hosted today a summit meeting of the three countries, inaugurating a new era of tripartite cooperation, which started a year ago, strengthening this constructive cooperation with two of the countries that truly supported Egypt’s political course for the restoration of democracy and they fully understand the extraordinary events that are taking place in the country.” He also pointed out the cooperation of the three countries in the investment and trade sectors and added that their views coincide completely. President Sisi referred to the need for ongoing contacts at various levels among the three countries, noting that their talks “aim to the further strengthening of their relations in all sectors, beginning from a common basis of mutual interests.” He also said that the cooperation among the three countries will constitute a model of cooperation for other countries as well, and pointed out the benefit for the three countries through the agreements that have been signed in the past in various sectors. Furthermore, he pointed out that the excellent relations among Greece, Cyprus and Egypt emanate from their respect for international law and especially the sovereignty of countries and the non-intervention in their domestic affairs. “We also exchanged views about the situation and the crises in the region of the Middle East, in particular about the Palestinian issue and the efforts for peace, as well as the developments in Syria and Iraq, about the effort to combat terrorism and ways to strengthen these efforts, and about the situation in Libya. Also examined were the efforts by Greece and Cyprus to enhance and support the contacts between Egypt and the EU” as well as the tripartite cooperation in other international fora. President Sisi emphasized, in particular, the determination of the three countries on the issues of combating terrorism and the strengthening of security in the region. On his part, President Anastasiades said that “I would like to thank most warmly President Sisi and our Egyptian friends for hosting this important conference. I also express very warm thanks to Egypt on the initiative for this tripartite cooperation, which started in 2013 and is maturing and gaining in strength since then. Our visit here and the realization of the Summit Conference is a tangible proof of the upgrading of this tripartite mechanism of cooperation and the joint commitment for examining further ways to deepen it. Our tripartite cooperation is based on four basic pillars: First, the one on political cooperation on the basis of the priorities and the issues of mutual interest, especially through the diplomatic coordination of our activities, both at a regional as well as an international level, always with full respect for international legality and the principles of the Charter of the United Nations. Second, the undertaking of initiatives for the benefit of our countries and our people, through the substantive and practical strengthening of our cooperative projects in sectors such as that of energy, the economy, commerce, tourism, culture and shipping, as well as many other sectors where we can cooperate. Third, the creation of a joint front to address the dangers that threaten the region of the Eastern Mediterranean, such as, for example, terrorism, the xenophobia and sectarianism, which place in danger the statehood of many countries and the future of their political reformation. Fourth, and the most important, this tripartite cooperation aims to become a model of constructive and beneficial regional cooperation in our common volatile region. In this framework, I wish to stress that this dialogue and cooperation are not directed against any other country. It is based on common principles and values, such as the application of international law and on the common goal to promote peace, stability, security and prosperity in the Eastern Mediterranean. Consequently, we invite the states of the region that share our vision to participate in joint efforts. During today’s Conference, beyond the elaboration of ideas about new areas in which our tripartite cooperation could be expanded, we discussed issues related to domestic developments in Egypt, on the Cyprus Problem and the Turkish provocations in the Exclusive Economic Zone of the Republic of Cyprus, our energy cooperation, the Middle East Problem, terrorism, and the developments in Iraq, Syria, Libya, Lebanon and other countries in the region. As a result of this, we adopted the ‘Cairo Declaration,’ a particularly important comprehensive document, which constitutes a guiding point of reference for our priorities both with regard to the sectors of the tripartite cooperation and with regard to all the issues that we discussed today. We discussed the situation in Egypt and we expressed our unequivocal support for the efforts of President Sisi and the Egyptian people for the implementation of the Road Map and for the effort for economic and political development, including the coming parliamentary elections that will mark the culmination of the process for the democratization of the country. We also expressed our full solidarity in the struggle of the country against terrorism and for the consolidation of security and stability, condemning the recent terrorist attacks against the security forces of Egypt and giving assurances that we will make every possible effort to assist Egypt in the struggle against terrorism. Moreover, the recent events in our region underline the need for stability in Egypt, because it is a country with great influence in the Arab world that can impact on the efforts to address the regional challenges, and terrorism in particular, wherever this is manifested, whether in Syria, Iraq, Libya, Lebanon and elsewhere. I also want to convey that Cyprus and Greece are the staunchest supporters and consistent ambassadors of Egypt in the EU and in other international organizations, since it is the strong conviction of Cyprus and Greece that the enhancement and expansion of the EU-Egypt relations will be mutually beneficial in addressing the challenges of the region. We discussed the Cyprus Problem and the necessity to terminate the anachronistic division of Cyprus through a comprehensive, lasting and viable solution, which will be reuniting the island in a bi-communal, bi-zonal federation with political equality, as this is defined by the relevant resolutions of the UN Security Council and the High level Agreements, with one and single international personality, one and single citizenship and one and single sovereignty. The solution of the Cyprus Problem will not only reunite the island, but will also allow its lawful citizens to prosper in a modern European state, which will respect the human rights and the basic freedoms of all its citizens, Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots. Moreover, as it is recorded in the ‘Cairo Declaration’ this kind of development will contribute significantly to the efforts that we are making to achieve stability and peace in our volatile region, and will be a tangible example of resolving disputes that linger on over time, through dialogue and not through military might. In spite of these, for the negotiating process to be possible to succeed, not only the Turkish Cypriot side - my compatriots – but Turkey in particular, must show the necessary good will and to adopt a constructive approach by taking substantive and practical steps in this direction. In this respect, we condemned the recent illegal activities of Turkey in the Exclusive Economic Zone of the Republic of Cyprus, only a few days before the start of the substantive phase of negotiations in order to find a peaceful, lasting and viable solution to the Cyprus Problem. We discussed ways to develop further our energy cooperation since we believe that the discovery of hydrocarbon deposits in the eastern Mediterranean can serve as a catalyst and an incentive to strengthen regional cooperation, instead of provoking disputes. We discussed issues that concern the Middle East Peace Process; we repeated our position for the need to achieve a comprehensive and lasting peace in the Middle East, on the basis of the resolutions of the UN Security Council, which provide for the establishment of a sovereign and viable Palestinian state, without of course ever disputing the corresponding Israeli state. In this framework, I express our warm congratulations and we applaud the very positive role that the Egyptian Government and President Al-Sisi, as a mediator between the Palestinian Authority and Israel, bringing about peace following the events in Gaza, but also the efforts of the President for the achievement of inter-Palestinian peace that will help to make possible the objective of a peaceful settlement of the Middle East Problem. In repeating, for one more time, the commitment of Cyprus to do, within the framework of its capabilities, the maximum possible and to promote effectively our common interests and values for the benefit of the citizens of our countries and the entire region, I look forward to our next meeting and the strengthening of this new, dynamic and important partnership.” The Prime Minister of Greece, among other things, congratulated Egypt and President Sisi on his initiative for the tripartite meeting. “It is a meeting that we owed to history,” he added. “Greece and Cyprus are members of the EU; Egypt is a country with the largest influence in the Arab world. That is why the exchange of views on the issues of Syria, Libya, Iraq and the sorely tried problem of Palestine were very productive and useful. And that is why the discussion we had on the issue of the reunification of Cyprus, under only one criterion, with respect toward history, terminating also the unacceptable provocations that are taking place recently against Cyprus, is taking on very significant dimensions.” He pointed out that “Greece and Cyprus attach great importance to the protection of the Christian populations that lately face the danger of been expelled from their ancestral homes. We also gave special weight to the issues of energy security and the cooperation on the hydrocarbon issues. It is a sector on which we will cooperate closely for the benefit of our people and for the benefit of the energy supplies of the entire EU. In the relationship among the three of us, Greece and Cyprus will support Egypt as her ambassadors in the EU. Because the guiding principle for the problems in the region must be the stability and security and the best ambassador of stability and security in the region is Egypt. The EU must in fact support Egypt in her current great effort and to support her both financially and morally. Greece and Cyprus will help in every way in this direction and we consider as critical our mediation and our role in this new relationship.”
Posted on: Sun, 09 Nov 2014 18:09:59 +0000
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