Cypriot, Egyptian, Greek leaders discuss regional cooperation in Nicosia

A tripartite summit between Cyprus, Egypt and Greece got under way here on Wednesday aimed at strengthening regional cooperation in the troubled eastern tip of the Mediterranean.

Cypriot President Nikos Anastasiades, President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi of the Arab Republic of Egypt and Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras met in the second such meeting since November to consider furthering their cooperation.

Summit sources said that high on the agenda of the summit are plans to promote co-operation between the three countries in the energy field, including natural gas which has been discovered both by Cyprus and Israel in their respective exclusive economic zones.

The three leaders are expected to decide on practical steps, including the selling of Cypriot gas to Egypt and the delimitation of the marine zones of Egypt and Greece.

Cyprus and Egypt were the first countries in the eastern Mediterranean to fix their exclusive economic zones under the UN Convention of the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

The summit will also deal with all regional issues, including the Middle East problem and the Cyprus issue and consider practical steps to face the problem of rising immigration from troubled countries and the stemming of terrorism, especially by the forces of the Islamic State (IS).

After their November summit in Cairo, the three countries said they would cooperate on counter-terrorism measures, including the exchange of information and the joint combating of terrorism and violent extremism. Endit