Strasbourg, France. Elam member of the European Parliament Geadis Geadi on Tuesday praised the Cypriot government’s deepening relations with Israel and the United States during a plenary debate on the situation in the Middle East.
He said Cyprus is a key actor in the region and pointed to the 3+1 cooperation scheme between Greece, Cyprus, Israel and the United States as a framework for stability and security.
Parliament remarks
Speaking in Strasbourg, Geadi said there are currently “two diametrically opposed paths” in the Middle East and the wider region.
“On the one hand, the forces of instability, fanaticism and violence, and on the other, the forces of cooperation, security and development,” he said.
He added that “there are extremist Islamic regimes, which in cooperation with various Islamic organisations, are causing chaos”, but that at the same time, “there is also the Republic of Cyprus, a member of the European Union, which is the key to the region, the way out of chaos”.
Reference to 3+1 scheme
Geadi said that “opportunities are also created through every crisis”, citing the 3+1 cooperation scheme between Greece, Cyprus and Israel, with the participation of the United States.
He said the format for diplomatic deliberations “was created with the aim of strengthening stability and security of cooperation in the eastern Mediterranean region, particularly in the fields of energy, natural gas, defence and the economy”.
He added, “In an era of geopolitical change, the protection of the Republic of Cyprus is a strategic necessity for Europe and western civilisation.”
Energy centre agreement
Geadi’s reference to the 3+1 format came after the creation last week of an Eastern Mediterranean energy centre.
Cypriot Energy Minister Michael Damianos said the centre will provide “significant technocratic support” for energy projects and infrastructure issues.
The agreement to create the centre was signed by Damianos, Greek Energy Minister Stavros Papastavrou, Israeli ambassador in Washington DC Yechiel Leiter, and US Energy Secretary Chris Wright.
Government response
Government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis described the centre’s creation as a development of “particular political and geostrategic importance”.
He said cooperation between the four countries involved provides “a stable framework for dialogue and coordination”.
