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- Ελληνικά
The political will of the Governments of Cyprus and Israel to further strengthen bilateral relations in all areas was expressed today by the President of the Republic Mr.Nicos Christodoulides and the Prime Minister of Israel Mr.
The President of the Republic received the Prime Minister of Israel at the Presidential Palace in Nicosia this afternoon, while a military contingent paid tribute. After the playing of the National Anthems, Mr Netanyahu laid a wreath at the statue of the National Archbishop Makarios III and the two leaders had a private meeting. 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 assistance during the operations to extinguish the recent fires in Limassol.
He also referred to the importance of the trilateral cooperation between Cyprus, Greece and Israel, and tomorrow's 9th Summit in the framework of this cooperation.
For his part, Netanyahu said that bilateral relations had never been stronger, adding that Cyprus and Israel had only benefited from the strengthening of their relations, such as in the fields of tourism, investment, high technology, security and the fight against terrorism.
Referring to the trilateral formation, he said the aim was to further strengthen cooperation and to have even more prospects.
Finally, Netanyahu said he had some ideas as to cooperation in dealing with fires that would benefit both nations.
Then extended consultations were held between the Cyprus-Israel delegations, led by the two leaders.
This was followed by statements by the two leaders to the media.
In his statements, the President of the Republic said, among other things, that this is his second meeting with the Prime Minister of Israel, noting the deep friendship that links the two countries.
He thanked the people and the Government of Israel for their assistance to Cyprus in dealing with fires.
He added that the meeting today demonstrates the strategic essence of bilateral relations in all areas.
"We reviewed the cooperation and the scope of our common goals and discussed the roadmap for the future. We agreed to have our first intergovernmental meeting in the first quarter of 2024."
He added that there is much we want to do together and we have mapped out 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 towards fighting terrorism.
Turning to energy issues, the President said they discussed the next steps of cooperation, and agreed to promote prospects for developing a reliable energy corridor in the region, linking the Eastern Mediterranean with Europe.
The President said they also agreed to expand trilateral cooperation which will be discussed tomorrow at the Cyprus, Greece, Israel Trilateral Summit.
Referring to the Cyprus issue, President Christodoulides said that our efforts to resume talks are based on the UN framework and thanked the Israeli Prime Minister for his clear and consistent support for these efforts.
For his part, the Israeli Prime Minister said, inter alia, that he and President Christodoulides share a deep friendship, as do the two peoples.
He added that the two countries share common goals and are committed to democracy and their cooperation is constantly strengthening.
"This visit, both bilaterally and at the trilateral level tomorrow, will further strengthen our cooperation, something that happens every time after our meetings," he said, adding that this is evidenced by the continuous increase in tourists from Israel, as well as by the investments that are taking place.
Referring to the excellent security cooperation between the two countries, Prime Minister Netanyahu thanked the President of the Republic for the excellent security services provided by the Cypriot authorities in preventing an attempted terrorist act against Israelis on the territory of Cyprus.
Netanyahu also noted the cooperation between the two countries in the field of science where the two Governments aim to sign a Cooperation Agreement.
On the energy sector, the Israeli Prime Minister said that cooperation is being considered with regard to two things, one concerning an electrical interconnection linking Cyprus with Greece and mainland Europe and the second from Cyprus to Israel and possibly to countries to the east of us. He added that this enables us not to be isolated but connected to other energy sources that can provide you with energy when there is a problem in your own country.
He added that these are being seriously discussed, while various options for cooperation in the gas sector are being considered.
On the issue of fighting fires, the Israeli Prime Minister said that he strongly supports the European decision to establish a regional centre in Cyprus to fight fires in countries in the region, noting
