AKEL on the Greece-Cyprus-Israel Trilateral Meeting
Statement by Yiorgos Loucaides, AKEL-Left-New Forces Parliamentary Representative
AKEL C.C. Press Office, 21st March 2019, Nicosia
Subject to our official briefing on the outcome of the tripartite meeting in Israel, with the ad-hoc participation of the US, as AKEL, we point out the following:
– We remain firmly in favour of developing as much as possible bilateral and trilateral cooperation with the states and peoples of our region, also making use of our status as a member state of the EU, with the strategic objective of transforming Cyprus into a bridge of peace and cooperation in the south eastern Mediterranean.
– For that reason, we disagree with any action that moves in the direction of transforming Cyprus into an “advanced outpost of the West”, an aggressive launching pad and into a training ground for conducting exercises by foreign armies and more generally we disagree with military co-operations that will lead to an intensification of the military tension in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of the Republic of Cyprus and in the region more widely.
– What does matter when the photo flashes are over in the trilateral or enlarged meetings such as yesterday is the practical results. Judging by the outcome it doesn’t appear that something new has transpired, either as regards the issue of energy security or in relation to the Cyprus problem after the separate Anastasiades-Pompeo meeting lasting 10 minutes. In addition, after so many years and despite the otherwise excellent level of relations with Israel, the conclusion of an agreement for the co-exploitation of the Aphrodite field with Israel is still pending.
– We stress that the most effective way for the unimpeded exercise of our inalienable sovereign rights in the EEZ of the Republic of Cyprus remains the solution of the Cyprus problem and, in this respect, our side’s steadfast and consistent commitment to this goal, in a way that will be acknowledged by the international community. The natural wealth in the Cypriot EEZ can and must be made use of as a catalyst in this direction and as a tool for peace, cooperation and our people’s prosperity, as well as for peace and stability in our region more widely.
