Press Releases

I feel very privileged for having had the opportunity to welcome today my distinguished colleagues and good friends, Ministers Mnatsakanyan and Katrougalos, for the first trilateral meeting at Foreign Ministers’ level between Cyprus, Armenia and Greece.

Dear Zohrab, dear George,

I would like to express to both of you my appreciation for the constructive deliberations we have had since we first discussed the idea of establishing this trilateral partnership between our countries. I am equally grateful to you, for the positive and open discussions we had today, which have led to the adoption of our joint statement.

The purpose of the trilateral cooperation between our countries, as stated in the joint statement, is the promotion of peace, stability and prosperity through enhanced political dialogue and cooperation among the three countries.

Today’s meeting reflects very clearly our joint determination to expand further and deepen our cooperation and to develop synergies that are going to benefit our countries and our peoples.

In this regard, we have agreed to explore opportunities for cooperation in various fields of mutual interest, including the economy, trade and investments, agriculture, education and science, information technology, healthcare, crisis management, culture and tourism.

At the same time, we have agreed to broaden our cooperation within the framework of international organizations and various multilateral fora, highlighting the importance we attach to coordinating the action of our diasporas in important decision-making centres worldwide. 

Today, I also had the opportunity to brief my counterparts on the latest developments regarding the Cyprus problem, as well as on Turkey’s escalated illegal activities in the Exclusive Economic Zone of the Republic of Cyprus, in violation of the Republic’s sovereign rights and in breach of the international law.

Moreover, we had the opportunity to exchange views with my two colleagues on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and on the implementation of the Prespa Agreement and to discuss, as well, the relations between the European Union and Armenia.

With regard to the latter, we have assured the Armenian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Mnatsakanyan, of our unwavering support for the strengthening of EU-Armenia relations, both within the framework of the Eastern Partnership and the EU-Armenia Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement of November 2017 and beyond.

In relation to the Partnership Agreement, I would like to add that we expect it to be ratified by the House of Representatives in the coming weeks. Its entry into force will set EU-Armenia relations on a new basis.

I look forward to continuing our discussions with Zohrab and George over lunch, during which we are going to exchange views and compare notes on a number of regional and international issues of common concern.

Dear colleagues,

Allow me to welcome you once more to Cyprus and to thank you for the excellent discussions we have had.

___________

NN/SCH