In a joint letter, the foreign ministers of Greece, Cyprus and Israel have invited the United States to participate in the next 3+1 framework ministerial meeting, with the aim to further deepen and revamp regional cooperation in the Eastern Mediterranean.
Giorgos Gerapetritis, Constantinos Kombos and Gideon Saar, addressing their US counterpart Marco Rubio, note that “The importance of this trilateral cooperation has already been recognized by the US when, during your tenure in the Senate you were personally instrumental Mr. Secretary, in promoting legislation enhancing the interlinkage between our three democracies in the Eastern Mediterranean and the United States.”
Marco Rubio is one of the co-authors of the “Eastern Mediterranean Security and Energy Partnership Act,” which notes that the security of partners and allies in the Eastern Mediterranean region is critical for the security of the United States and Europe. Greece is viewed as a valuable NATO member and a “key pillar of stability in the Eastern Mediterranean,” Israel as a steadfast ally of the US, also designated as a “major non-NATO ally” while Cyprus is viewed as a “key strategic partner.”
The three foreign ministers emphasize their readiness to work more closely with Washington, in areas such as energy, security, counter-terrorism, cyber-security and civil protection.
“We believe the Eastern Mediterranean is destined to play an increasingly strategic role as a hub for energy and infrastructure connectivity between Europe, the Middle East and Asia,” they state in the letter.
They also address recent geopolitical developments in the region, like in Syria and Lebanon, as well as threats to maritime security, as additional reasons to deepen cooperation with the United States.
“Since its inception in 2016, the trilateral cooperation between Israel, Cyprus and Greece, three like-minded democracies at the crossroads between three continents, has provided an exemplary platform for promoting regional dialogue, stability and prosperity in the Eastern Mediterranean. In March 2019, the Secretary of State joined the leaders of the three countries in Jerusalem, opening the way for the creation of the 3+1 framework,” the letter concludes according to Kathimerini.
he leaders of Greece, Israel, and Cyprus, met in Nicosia in September 2023, and agreed to deepen their alliance in the Eastern Mediterranean with a particular emphasis on energy and security.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, President of the Republic of Cyprus Nikos Christodoulides, and Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu met in the context of the Trilateral Summit, the first since December 2021. It is also the first since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which has been leading to a realignment of the EU’s energy priorities.
The three countries were poised to finalize an energy deal that will include a mammoth electricity project connecting their power grids, and a potential future regional natural gas pipeline between the eastern Mediterranean allies.
Mitsotakis said that Greece, Cyprus, and Israel represent pillars of stability in the Eastern Mediterranean and added that “the trilateral partnership has stood the test of time and has demonstrated its benefits on both political and economic levels, as well as in other areas.”
