Special mention to Egypt and how it is affected by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, but also its role in energy and migration issues, Foreign Minister Ioannis Kasoulides made at the Foreign Affairs Council meeting in Luxembourg on Monday.
Kasoulides also expressed Cyprus' support for what his Greek counterpart said before the foreign ministers about Turkey's behaviour, and referred to how Cyprus is affected by Ankara's behaviour.
According to a Foreign Ministry statement, in the context of the discussion of current issues, Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias briefed the Foreign Ministers "in relation to Turkey's continued provocative behaviour, stating, inter alia, He referred, among other things, to ongoing violations of Greek airspace, military exercises on the Turkish coast, claims to Greek islands, the instrumentalization of migrants and, in general, inflammatory statements by Turkish officials."
For his part, Mr. Kasoulides "expressed his unreserved support for Greece and underlined our great concern about what is happening in the Aegean because, as he pointed out, this is also being transferred to Cyprus with the illegal visit of the Turkish Foreign Minister to the occupied territories, the illegal actions in the enclosed area of Varosha and in general the toxic environment maintained by the Turkish Cypriot leadership."
This concern, he stressed, "lies in the fact that Cyprus is the most vulnerable point in terms of all of Turkey's threats," he added. As noted, support for the position of Greece and Cyprus was also expressed by High Representative Josep Borrell and "a significant number of member states."
In the context of the discussion on Ukraine, Mr. Kasoulides referred to the "serious secondary effects" of the Russian invasion, and stressed that "the food crisis is a huge challenge for the EU, which through a realistic approach must take initiatives, starting, of course, first with our neighbourhood."
At this point he referred specifically to Egypt, which he described as a key country for the stability of the wider region. "Given that 90% of Egypt's grain imports come from Russia and Ukraine, the impact of the war on Egypt is undoubtedly enormous," he said. Kasoulides pointed out that for a country like Egypt with a population of 100 million people, the issue of ensuring food sufficiency is essential for social stability in the country.
Specifically for Egypt, Mr. Kasoulides stressed that Cyprus, as a "member state integrally integrated in the Eastern Mediterranean region", supports the strategic strengthening of the EU's relations with Egypt, making "special reference to Egypt's role in the migration issue and the issue of tackling climate change".
Also, according to the statement, the MFA highlighted "Egypt's role in the aspects of energy diversification and interconnectivity, welcoming the signing of the EU-Egypt-Israel Memorandum of Understanding" as an important step "towards the realisation of the objective of creating a reliable alternative energy corridor in the Eastern Mediterranean region". In this context, he pointed out, Cyprus' initiatives through the trilaterals and the East Mediterranean Gas Forum are included.
Referring to the prospect of Ukraine's accession to the EU, Mr.Kasoulides noted that Cyprus is ready to support the granting of candidate status to Ukraine "provided that a meritocratic approach is followed without making promises that we cannot keep".
Finally, Kasoulides reiterated Cyprus' position on the importance of convening the EU-Israel Association Council in the near future.
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