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- Ελληνικά
The President of the Hellenic Republic, Mr Nikos Christodoulides, received the Prime Ministers of Greece and Israel today at the Presidential Palace, in the framework of the 9th Cyprus, Greece and Israel Trilateral Summit, which is taking place today in Nicosia.
First to arrive at the Presidential Palace was the Prime Minister of Greece, Mr. Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who was welcomed by the President of the Republic. Afterwards, the two leaders had a private meeting.
Welcoming the Greek Prime Minister, President Christodoulides said, among other things, that the trilateral mechanism is part of the regional cooperation that demonstrates the role that Cyprus and Greece, as EU member states, can play in the Eastern Mediterranean region.
He added: "We will have the opportunity to discuss both the Cyprus problem and Greek-Turkish issues. I think that September and October are crucial months for how the issues will develop. The United Nations General Assembly, the meetings that we will have, the October European Council, are crucial and we are here to ensure that there are these kinds of developments that will lead to positive steps in both the Greek-Turkish and the Cyprus problem.
The resolution of the disputes, the resolution of any problems, the resolution of the Cyprus problem is of primary importance for us. The present state of affairs cannot be the future of Cyprus. What I conveyed very clearly to the Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations recently is our readiness to resume talks as soon as possible in order to lead to a resolution of the Cyprus problem, which will be beneficial for all parties involved. We cannot change the geography and we are here to work with all our neighbours, on the basis of international law, on the basis of facts that will lead to benefits for all the peoples of the region."
For his part, the Greek Prime Minister said, among other things, that Greece, Cyprus and Israel are countries of stability in the Eastern Mediterranean, "a trilateral arrangement that has stood the test of time" and that has shown its benefits both politically and economically, as well as in other areas.
On the Cyprus issue, he added that he endorses the President's approach that it is very important to resume talks within the framework of UN resolutions.
"Greece will always be a firm supporter of this position," Mitsotakis said, adding that the next few months will be decisive in terms of Greek-Turkish relations and noted that he views the developments with cautious optimism. He also said that in the coming days the Greek Foreign Minister will travel to Turkey for talks with his Turkish counterpart.
Finally, Mitsotakis thanked the Republic of Cyprus for its assistance during the recent fires in Greece.
Then the President of the Republic received at the Presidential Palace the Prime Minister of Israel, Mr Benjamin Netanyahu.
Subsequently, the Prime Ministers of Greece and Israel had a private meeting, which will be followed by extended talks between the delegations of Greece and Israel.
This will be followed by a trilateral private meeting between the President of the Republic and the Prime Ministers of Greece and Israel, before the delegations of the three countries hold expanded talks.
Afterwards, the three leaders will make statements to the media.
(RM/MB/SX)
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