Foreign ministers of Cyprus, Greece, and Israel, Nikos Christodoulides, Nikos Dendias, and Yair Lapid, met in Jerusalem on Friday and expressed concern over “extremely worrying” global developments, including religious fanaticism, Statecraft reports.
The trio also emphasised the importance of a world order based on peaceful co-existence, moderation, prosperity, and international law as the ethos of their alliance–representing the “circle of life,” a term phrased by Israeli FM Lapid.
To this end, Greek FM Dendias said, “Unfortunately, we also see a vicious circle contrary to this circle of life. Religious fanaticism, terrorism, an arc of fundamentalism spanning North Africa to the Eastern Mediterranean and going as far as Central Asia and Afghanistan.”
As Cyprus Mail reports, a foreign affairs press release said it is the “first meeting between the three countries at the level of foreign ministers since the new Israeli government took office, reaffirming the common will of all parties to further develop their cooperation and to expand regional cooperation networks on the basis of a positive agenda, with a view to enhancing peace, stability and security in the broader region”.
Prior to trilateral meeting, Greek and Israeli foreign ministers hold a bilateral meeting during which discussed the close relations between Israel and Greece, and the strengthening of strategic cooperation between the two countries on regional issues, including the issue of the Iranian nuclear threat.
