The political will of the Governments of Cyprus and Israel to further strengthen bilateral relations in all sectors was expressed by the President of the Republic, Mr. Nikos Christodoulidis, and the Prime Minister of Israel, Mr. Benjamin Netanyahu, in a meeting at the Presidential Palace in Nicosia.

The President of the Republic received the Prime Minister of Israel at the Presidential Palace, while a military parade paid honors. In the sound of the National Anthems, Mr. Netanyahu laid a wreath at the statue of National Archer Makarios III and then the two leaders had a private meeting.

Welcoming Mr. Netanyahu, the President of the Republic said, among other things, that Cyprus and Israel are strategic partners and expressed satisfaction with Mr. Netanyahu’s recent statements on the issue of Energy.

He also warmly thanked the Prime Minister for Israel’s help in extinguishing the recent fires in Limassol, referring to the importance of the tripartite cooperation of Cyprus, Greece, Israel, and tomorrow’s 9th Summit in the context of this cooperation.

For his part, Mr. Netanyahu said that bilateral relations have never been stronger, adding that Cyprus and Israel have only benefited from strengthening their relations, such as in the fields of tourism, investment, high technology, security and the fight against terrorism.

Referring to the tripartite formation, he said that the aim is to further strengthen cooperation and to have even more prospects.

Finally, Mr. Netanyahu said that he himself has some ideas regarding cooperation in dealing with fires that will benefit the two peoples.

Extended consultations were then held between the Cypriot – Israeli delegations, led by the two leaders.

This was followed by statements of the two leaders to the media.

In his statements, the President of the Republic said, among others, that this is his second meeting with the Prime Minister of Israel, pointing out the deep friendship that connects the two countries.

He thanked the people and the Government of Israel for helping Cyprus in dealing with fires.

Furthermore, the President added that today’s meeting proves the strategic importance of bilateral relations in all fields.

In addition, he stated that the cooperation and scope of common goals had been reviewed and the road map for the future discussed, while the first intergovernmental meeting to be held in the first quarter of 2024 had been agreed.

He added that there is much we seek to do together and we have outlined the next steps in areas such as political dialogue, energy, defence, tourism, investment and others.

He also said that “we stand with Israel in condemning all forms of terrorism,” noting the importance of continued coordination in the fight against terrorism.

Referring to energy issues, the President said that the next steps of cooperation were discussed and they agreed to promote prospects for the development of a reliable energy corridor in the region, connecting the Eastern Mediterranean with Europe.

The President stated that they also agreed on the extension of tripartite cooperation, something that will be discussed tomorrow during the Tripartite Summit of Cyprus, Greece and Israel.

Referring to the Cyprus issue, President Christodoulidis said that our efforts to restart talks are based on the UN framework and thanked the Prime Minister of Israel for his clear, consistent support for these efforts.

For his part, the Prime Minister of Israel said, among others, that he maintains a deep friendship with President Christodoulides, as this also connects both peoples. He added that the two countries share common goals and are committed to democracy, with their cooperation constantly strengthening.

The visit, both on a bilateral and trilateral level, will further strengthen cooperation, which is the case after every meeting, he said, adding that this is also proven by the continuous increase in tourists from Israel as well as the investments that are taking place.

Referring to the excellent cooperation between the two countries in security matters, Prime Minister Netanyahu thanked the President of the Republic for the excellent security services provided by the Cypriot authorities in preventing the attempted terrorist act against Israelis on the territory of Cyprus.

Mr. Netanyahu also pointed out the cooperation of the two countries in the field of science where the two Governments aim to sign a relevant Cooperation Agreement.

Regarding the energy sector, the Prime Minister of Israel said that cooperation is being considered in terms of two things: an electrical interconnection between Cyprus, Greece and continental Europe, and one which will connect Cyprus to Israel and possibly to eastern countries. He added that this enables us not to be isolated, but connected to other energy sources we can resort to in the event that our own country encounters different problems. 

He added that these are being seriously discussed, while various options for cooperation in the natural gas sector are being considered.

Regarding the issue of fighting fires, the Prime Minister of Israel said that he strongly supports the European decision to create a regional center in Cyprus, with the aim of fighting fires in countries of the region, noting that Israel can be part of this effort.

Finally, Mr. Netanyahu referred to the possibility of implementing an idea to create a corridor connecting Asia, the Middle East and Europe, particularly with the creation of infrastructure, as part of an extension of the Abraham Accords, and the possible normalization of relations with other countries of the region, giving the example of fiber optics to make this possible.

With information from: Presidency of the Republic of Cyprus

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