by Shlomo Cesana, Associated Press and Israel Hayom Staff
In first tripartite summit, PM Benjamin Netanyahu, Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades and Greek PM Alexis Tsipras agree to "promote peace, stability, security and prosperity in the Mediterranean" • "This is a historic agreement," Netanyahu says.
Greek Prime Minister Alexis
Tsipras, Cypriot President Nicos Anastasides and Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu in Nicosia, Thursday
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Photo credit: AP  |
"In light of the underlying challenges and
opportunities, and given the fluid and unstable situation in the region,
our three countries, which share common democratic values, principles,
and interests, have, to this end, agreed on the importance for closer
cooperation and a coordinated set of policies. Our partnership is not
exclusive in design or nature, and we are ready to welcome other
like-minded actors to join our efforts to promote coordination and
cooperation, as well as regional peace and stability.
The leaders of Cyprus, Greece and Israel
pledged on Thursday to work together to seize opportunities emerging
from newly found offshore gas reserves to bolster stability and security
in a region wracked by conflict.
Meeting in Nicosia, the talks were the first
tripartite summit between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Cypriot
President Nicos Anastasiades and Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras.
Their discussions centered on cooperation to exploit the new gas
reserves, as well as migration, the war on terror, and tourism. The
countries also signed a cooperation agreement on managing water
resources.
"We ... have agreed to strengthen the
cooperation between our three countries in order to promote a trilateral
partnership in different fields of common interest, and to work
together towards promoting peace, stability, security and prosperity in
the Mediterranean and the wider region," the three said in a joint
statement.
"We agree to work closely together with a view
to strengthening our cooperation on common projects, involving both
public and private actors. In particular, we are examining practical
means of cooperating and implementing joint projects and synergies in
the fields of energy, tourism, research and technology, environment,
water management, combating terrorism, and migration."
Netanyahu said the leaders agreed to set up a
tripartite committee to study the possibility of building a pipeline to
carry natural gas found in the waters off Israel and Cyprus to Europe
via Greece.
"These are momentous goals, and by working
together we can advance them more effectively than we can separately,"
Netanyahu said.
He said that "as the son of a historian, I'm
averse to using the term 'historic,' but I believe it applies here. The
last time the Greeks, Cypriots and Jews sat around the same table was
about 2,000 years ago. Now history is being made by forming a trilateral
committee between the three countries. The committee will plan two
outlines: the pipeline that will export our common gas resources from
Israel, through Cyprus and Greece to Europe; and the underwater cable
that will link Israel's, Cyprus' and Greece's power grids to create a
joint grid."
Netanyahu, Tsipras and Anastasides made it
clear that the new collaboration efforts would not come at the expense
of any other party, particularly Turkey.
"This energy outline can, even now, carry
parallel pipelines to Egypt and Turkey, in terms of the reserves we're
talking about. They are not mutually exclusive," Netanyahu said.
"In addition, if the development of our
[offshore gas] fields will result in the development of other [gas]
fields, than there is a third option, which clearly exists: a direct
pipeline to Europe."
The projected cost of the Israel-Greece pipeline is $6 billion. The pipelines to Turkey and Egypt are expected to cost $2 billion each.
The projected cost of the Israel-Greece pipeline is $6 billion. The pipelines to Turkey and Egypt are expected to cost $2 billion each.
Shlomo Cesana, Associated Press and Israel Hayom Staff
Source: http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=31433
Copyright - Original materials copyright (c) by the authors.
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