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Cyprus, Greece, and Egypt yesterday pledged to increase their political and economic cooperation to the benefit of their people and the wider region.

In a tripartite summit that was received extensive media coverage throughout the day, Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, and Egyptian Abdel Fatah al-Sisi signed the Nicosia Declaration, a three-way framework agreement that reaffirmed that the trilateral dialogue and cooperation promotes peace, stability, security and prosperity in the Eastern Mediterranean.

On energy co-operation, Anastasiades said the leaders reaffirmed a shared conviction that the discovery of significant hydrocarbons reserves can and must act as a catalyst for broader co-operation on a regional level, contributing to regional stability, highlighting however the adherence to international law. In his own remarks, Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi said the tripartite agreements are aimed at making the participating nations the natural gateway for boosting cooperation between Africa and Europe.

The leaders further underlined the ecumenical nature of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UCLOS) and decided to expedite their negotiations for the delimitation of the remaining of their maritime zones.

Referring to the Cyprus problem, the three leaders called for a just, comprehensive and viable solution that would re-unite the island according to international law and the UNSC resolutions, as this would not only benefit the people of Cyprus, but of the wider region as well.

Commenting on migration, they stressed that the increase of migration flows constitutes a challenge to all three countries, while they agreed to intensify their actions to avert the loss of lives and sea and deal with the source of the human tragedy. 

According to the joint declaration, the three countries agreed to step up co-operation on counter-terrorism, defence, and security.

The three countries further agreed to explore all possibilities to further enhance the synergies among our economies, with a view to create a more positive economic environment for growth, to tackle the challenges of a rapidly changing international economic situation and to jointly benefit from important opportunities arising in our region.

They also agreed to continue working in the field of tourism with a view to facilitate and enhance co-operation on joint projects, including the development of joint packages and cruises, the sea connection between the three countries — both as respects cargo and passengers — and initiating co-operation on maritime education and training.

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said the three countries decided to extend their co-operation within the international organisations of which they are members. Expressing satisfaction over the outcome of the Nicosia talks, Tsipras extended an invitation to his counterparts to follow up with a third three-way summit in Athens.

Speaking on Sigma Main Evening News yesterday, Cyprus Foreign Minister Ioannis Kasoulides said that the agreements signed as part of the Nicosia Declaration between Cyprus, Greece and Egypt are substantive, and already the Cyprus and Egypt Communication Ministers are examining the shipping connection between the two countries. He also noted that this cooperation bring Cyprus closer to the Arab world and Egypt closer to the EU.