Lapid meets with Greek, Cypriot foreign ministers in Athens

Foreign Minister Yair Lapid met with his Greek and Cypriot counterparts in Athens on Tuesday.

 FOREIGN MINISTERS of Israel, Cyprus and Greece and a UAE presidential diplomatic adviser meet in Paphos, Cyprus in April. (photo credit: LAKOVOS HATZISTAVROU/REUTERS)
FOREIGN MINISTERS of Israel, Cyprus and Greece and a UAE presidential diplomatic adviser meet in Paphos, Cyprus in April.
(photo credit: LAKOVOS HATZISTAVROU/REUTERS)

Foreign Minister Yair Lapid was in Athens on Tuesday to strengthen the trilateral partnership between Israel, Greece and Cyprus. Among the topics on the agenda were energy cooperation – the countries signed an agreement to promote the EastMed natural gas pipeline from Israel to Europe – Israel-EU relations and climate change.

Another matter of discussion was Israel’s improving ties with Turkey – Greece and Cyprus’s historic adversary – though a diplomatic source said it was not a dominant topic in the meetings, pointing out that the Greek prime minister recently met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Following a meeting with Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias, Lapid tweeted that they agreed to “continue to develop and strengthen this cooperation for the benefit of Israel, Greece and the region as a whole.”

Lapid met with Cypriot Foreign Minister Ioannis Kasoulides, and said they “agreed to continue to strengthen diplomatic and strategic cooperation between our nations in the fields of commerce, security and energy.”

 Prime Minister Naftali Bennett meeting with Cyprus' Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias. (credit: AMOS BEN GERSHOM, GPO)
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett meeting with Cyprus' Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias. (credit: AMOS BEN GERSHOM, GPO)

He added, “This cooperation is an important asset for both our countries, and for the further development of the region as a whole.”