​(Communicated by the Prime Minister's Media Adviser)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will, tomorrow (Thursday, 20 December 2018), host the fifth Israel-Greece-Cyprus summit with Cypriote President Nicos Anastasiades and Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras at the National Cyber Directorate and the Carasso Science Park in Be'er Sheva. The summit will focus on cyber and innovation.

The leaders will discuss regional strategic issues including the plan to lay a gas pipeline from Israel to Europe and additional cooperation projects between the countries. The leaders will also hold bilateral meetings, sign agreements on cyber defense, civilian space-related issues and meteorological cooperation, and will issue joint statements to the media.

The leaders will tour the National Cyber Directorate and an innovation exhibition by Israeli companies. Also attending the summit will be Greek and Cypriote start-up entrepreneurs who took part in a course on innovation in Israel which Prime Minister Netanyahu initiated at the previous summit.

Following is an excerpt from Prime Minister Netanyahu's remarks at the Globes Business conference earlier today:

"Tomorrow I will again host our annual summit meeting with Greece and Cyprus. We want to lay a gas pipeline from Israel to Cyprus, Crete, [mainland] Greece, Italy and [the rest of] Europe. This will turn Israel into a player in the global energy field; all signs indicate that it could run forward. This will, of course, strengthen our diplomatic capability which, to the same extent, of course, is also strengthening the economy and the military, because they are all related."

Prime Minister Netanyahu and his wife Sara, this evening (Wednesday, 19 December 2018), hosted dinner for Greek Prime Minister Tsipras and his partner Peristera "Betty" Baziana and Cypriot President Anastasiades and his wife Andri Moustakoudi.