Greek and Israeli leaders discuss another summit with Cyprus

New York, United States. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussed plans for another tripartite summit with Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides during a meeting on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, Netanyahu’s office said.

Defence and energy cooperation

Netanyahu’s office said he emphasised the importance of Israel’s strategic partnership with Greece and welcomed Greece’s selection of Israeli defence systems. Israel is to provide Greece with the new “Achilles shield” multi-layered air defence system.

The two leaders also discussed regional developments and energy cooperation, the office said.

The most recent tripartite summit was held in Jerusalem in December last year. In a joint declaration, the three countries expressed their “unwavering commitment to strengthen our cooperation, enhancing the security and resilience of our nations for generations to come”.

Regional reactions

In May, Israel’s then deputy foreign minister, Sharren Haskel, described the country’s relationship with Greece and Cyprus as an “alliance of stability”. Speaking to Greek public broadcaster ERT, she pushed back against objections to the deepening ties, particularly in Turkey and the Turkish Cypriot community.

Haskel cited war and instability around the world and accused Hezbollah and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards of fuelling radicalisation. She said countries including Iraq and Lebanon had been affected, accused those forces of destroying Iran and persecuting its people, and said they were exporting instability to other continents. “In a world of radicalisation, we need to create an alliance of stability,” she said.

Haskel resigned in July, saying she could no longer support the Israeli government allowing Haredi, or ultra-Orthodox, Jews to avoid conscription into the Israel Defence Forces.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan also criticised the closer ties. At April’s Antalya diplomacy forum, he said the Israeli government had met with the “Greek Cypriot administration” and formed an alliance against Muslim countries in the region.