My friends, Nikos and Ioannis,
We are meeting in complicated times. There is a war in Europe. Once again, a large and
powerful country has invaded a smaller neighbor without any justification, Once again, the
ground is soaked with the blood of innocent civilians.
The images and testimony from Ukraine are horrific. Russian forces committed war crimes
against a defenseless civilian population. I strongly condemn these war crimes.
But there is also a point of light in this darkness: the world is not silent. The world isn't
cynical, it isn't driven purely by interests and economic benefit.
A coalition, rare in size and power, has come together to help Ukraine, and to stand by its
side.
This is a reminder for us as well, that the power of states in the twenty-first century, is
measured by the strength of their alliances, and their ability to produce force multipliers.
Greece, Cyprus, and Israel have an unbreakable alliance, based on shared values, on
economic and security cooperation.
Last week, I stood in the Negev together with Secretary of State Blinken, and the Foreign
Ministers of Bahrain, Egypt, Morocco, and the UAE.
We announced the establishment of the “Negev Forum”, which will deal with security and
economic cooperation.
This was further proof that the world is changing.
In the face of the Iranian threat, and after years of a global pandemic, countries are looking
for new ways to cooperate, in order to defend themselves, and improve the lives of their
citizens.
I admit that when creating the “Negev Forum,” I had in my mind the model I have with you.
A model of close relations, of countries who know how to cooperate in the face of
challenges, to build economic initiatives, and to have a close dialogue between
governments.
It was important to me to come here, and to strengthen this commitment further.
Alongside the improvement in our relations with Turkey, which is welcome and timely,
there is also a great opportunity to deepen the ties between us and strengthen regional
stability. As always, we will do this in full coordination with you.
Greece, Cyprus, and Israel are looking at ways to cooperate in a series of fields.
First and foremost, in regional security. Our ability to cooperate in security is critical for the
safety of our citizens, and to fight terrorism in the region.
We are also examining additional economic cooperation, with an emphasis on the energy
market. The war in Ukraine stands to change the structure of the European and Middle
Eastern energy market. There are risks here, but there are also opportunities which we
must examine together.
In the coming months, we will try to expand our cooperation to include more countries as
well, and we hope to have 3+1 meetings with other countries in the region and beyond.
Nikos, thank you for your hospitality.
It is not easy to maintain a diet when you are the host, but I will get my revenge with good
hummus when you come to Jerusalem.