{"id":1757,"date":"2016-05-11T20:28:23","date_gmt":"2016-05-11T17:28:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mfa.gr\/cyprus\/1st-trilateral-political-consultations-between-secretaries-general-of-the-ministries-of-foreign-affairs-of-greece-cyprus-and-lebanon-athens-may-11-2016-joint-statement\/"},"modified":"2016-05-11T20:28:23","modified_gmt":"2016-05-11T17:28:23","slug":"1st-trilateral-political-consultations-between-secretaries-general-of-the-ministries-of-foreign-affairs-of-greece-cyprus-and-lebanon-athens-may-11-2016-joint-statement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mfa.gr\/cyprus\/en\/1st-trilateral-political-consultations-between-secretaries-general-of-the-ministries-of-foreign-affairs-of-greece-cyprus-and-lebanon-athens-may-11-2016-joint-statement\/","title":{"rendered":"1st Trilateral Political Consultations between Secretaries General of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Greece, Cyprus and Lebanon, Athens, May 11, 2016. Joint Statement"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"elxisarticle18182\" class=\"contentpaneopen_text\">\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong> JOINT STATEMENT <\/p>\n<p>1st<br \/>\nTrilateral Political Consultations between Secretaries General of the<br \/>\nMinistries of Foreign Affairs of Greece, Cyprus and Lebanon, Athens, May<br \/>\n 11, 2016<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Following the meeting of the Foreign<br \/>\nMinisters of Cyprus, Lebanon and Greece in Brussels, on the 15th of<br \/>\nFebruary 2016, the 1st Trilateral Political Consultations at the level<br \/>\nof the Secretary General of the respective Ministries of Foreign Affairs<br \/>\n were hosted in Athens on the 11th of May, 2016, by the Secretary<br \/>\nGeneral of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Greece,\u00a0 Ambassador<br \/>\nDimitrios Paraskevopoulos,\u00a0 and attended by the Permanent Secretary,<br \/>\nAmbassador Alexandros N. Zenon, from Cyprus and the Alternate Secretary<br \/>\nGeneral and Head of the Political Department, Ambassador Charbel Wehbi,<br \/>\nfrom Lebanon.<\/p>\n<p>Secretary General, Ambassador Dimitrios<br \/>\nParaskevopoulos and Permanent Secretary, Ambassador Alexandros N. Zenon,<br \/>\n briefed their Lebanese colleague on the Trilateral cooperation<br \/>\ninitiatives that Greece and Cyprus have jointly undertaken with Egypt<br \/>\nand Jordan, respectively. Following this briefing, the Parties focused<br \/>\non the prospects of a Trilateral cooperation between Cyprus, Greece and<br \/>\nLebanon in a wide range of fields:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\">Counter - terrorism Cooperation\/Security. Exchange of information<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\">Refugee \/ Migration issues. Exchange of information <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\">Military Cooperation<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\">Lebanon \u2013 E.U. Relations\u00a0 \/Southern Neighborhood\/Union for the Mediterranean<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\">Energy<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\">Economic Cooperation<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">-Tourism<br \/>-Agriculture<br \/>-Crossinvestment<br \/>-Maritime Transport<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\">Cooperation on environmental issues (forest firefighting, water resources etc)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\">Cooperation on cultural issues<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">They also discussed ways to strengthen<br \/>\nthe coordination between the three parties and their cooperation in<br \/>\nmultilateral fora and exchanged views on regional and international<br \/>\nissues, especially on developments in the Eastern Mediterranean, the<br \/>\nMiddle East and the wider region.\u00a0 The discussions reflected the common<br \/>\nwill of the three countries to establish solid and continuous<br \/>\ncoordination and cooperation in all fields. <\/p>\n<p>They stressed that<br \/>\nregional dialogue can serve the common goals of strengthening the<br \/>\nrelationship between Europe and the Middle East, and further promote<br \/>\nsolidarity and mutual understanding, emphasizing the stabilizing role of<br \/>\n the three countries in the region.\u00a0 <\/p>\n<p>They also stressed the<br \/>\nimportance and advantages of the Euro-Mediterranean cooperation for the<br \/>\ncountries of the region. In this respect, they examined ways to take<br \/>\nfull advantage of the institutional framework of E.U.- Lebanon<br \/>\nrelations, where applicable, including the tools and means provided by<br \/>\nthe revised European Neighbourhood Policy.<\/p>\n<p>In the same context,<br \/>\nand on the occasion of the 21st Anniversary of the Barcelona<br \/>\nDeclaration, they welcomed an enhanced role that the Secretariat of the<br \/>\nUnion for the Mediterranean (UfM) can play to this end, as reflected in<br \/>\nthe Joint Communication of the European Commission on the Review of the<br \/>\nEuropean Neighborhood Policy (ENP) of 18th November 2015. <\/p>\n<p>The<br \/>\nParties condemned all terrorist activities, expressed concern for the<br \/>\nproliferation of terrorism, not only on a regional but also on a global<br \/>\nlevel and underlined the necessity of regional and international<br \/>\ncooperation in confronting this threat.\u00a0 To this end, they underlined<br \/>\nthe importance of exchange of information on a regular basis, among<br \/>\ncountries of the region. They also stressed the need to address the root<br \/>\n causes of the region\u2019s conflicts, in order to counter sectarianism,<br \/>\nextremism and radicalism, which create a fertile ground for terrorist<br \/>\ngroups.\u00a0 <\/p>\n<p>The Alternate Secretary General and Head of the<br \/>\nPolitical Department Ambassador Charbel Wehbi stressed the urgent need<br \/>\nof support to the unity, sovereignty and the territorial integrity of<br \/>\nLebanon and agreed with the parties on the activation of international<br \/>\nsupport for the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) through additional and<br \/>\nexpedited assistance in areas where it is most critically needed,<br \/>\nincluding counterterrorism and border protection.<\/p>\n<p>The three<br \/>\nParties expressed continuing concern about the negative impact of the<br \/>\nSyrian crisis on Lebanon\u2019s stability, and the immediate threat to its<br \/>\nsecurity in terms of the spread of terrorist organizations, as well as<br \/>\nthe alarming consequences of the mass influx of Syrian displaced into<br \/>\nLebanon.<\/p>\n<p>Regarding migration in the broader region of Eastern<br \/>\nMediterranean, they stressed the need for a holistic approach in<br \/>\nidentifying solutions to this complex and multifacetedissue, putting<br \/>\nemphasis on the critical importance of (a) effectively combating the<br \/>\nillegal networks of migrant smuggling, where the role and responsibility<br \/>\n of the countries of the region are determining, (b) the active<br \/>\nsolidarity and cooperation of Europe in order that this challenge of<br \/>\nprimarily humanitarian character and of unprecedented magnitude for the<br \/>\nregion be adequately addressed. They also underlined the crucial role of<br \/>\n Greece with regard to the reception and accommodation of the refugees,<br \/>\nwhich was appreciated worldwide all the more for the humane way that the<br \/>\n refugees are being treated.<\/p>\n<p>The urgent need for ending the<br \/>\nturmoil of violence that has engulfed many regions in the Middle East<br \/>\nwas reiterated by the Parties. They stressed in particular the need for a<br \/>\n political solution in Syria, safeguarding the territorial integrity and<br \/>\n sovereignty of the country andestablishing credible inclusive<br \/>\ngovernance, providing for the security and the protection of the rights<br \/>\nof all its citizens, regardless of ethnicity or religious denomination.<\/p>\n<p>The<br \/>\n Parties also stressed the continuing need for support by the<br \/>\ninternational community of the national reconciliation process in Iraq<br \/>\nand its national unity and integrity, calling upon all parties in the<br \/>\nregion to fully respect its sovereignty.<br \/>The Parties highlighted that<br \/>\n safeguarding the security of Lebanon should be a core issue in EU\u2019s<br \/>\npolicy and the International Community\u2019s approach concerning security in<br \/>\n the region.<\/p>\n<p>They agreed on the need for the E.U. to exploremeans<br \/>\n to continue supporting Lebanonpolitically and economically in order to<br \/>\nincrease its resilience with regard to the burdens and challenges<br \/>\nrelated to the high numbers of refugees it is hosting on its territory.<br \/>\nLebanon has been affected by a grave humanitarian situation with the<br \/>\npresence of over 1.7 million Syrian refugees. To this end, they stressed<br \/>\n the importance of reaching an agreement on the\u00a0 EU-Lebanon Partnership<br \/>\nPriorities for the period 2016-2020 within the framework of the ENP<br \/>\nReview, and of the respective Compact Agreement, which will usher in a<br \/>\nnew page in EU-Lebanon relations.<\/p>\n<p>Following a briefing by<br \/>\nPermanent Secretary, Ambassador Zenon, on the negotiating process under<br \/>\nthe United Nations auspices, aiming at a lasting and comprehensive<br \/>\nsettlement of the Cyprus problem, in accordance with International Law,<br \/>\nincluding the relevant UN Security Council Resolutions, and with the<br \/>\nHigh Level Agreements, and safeguarding the principles upon which the<br \/>\nEuropean Union is founded, the Parties reiterated their support to this<br \/>\nprocess. <br \/>The Parties, aware of the wealth of the Eastern<br \/>\nMediterranean in hydrocarbons, which can be a catalyst for regional<br \/>\npeace, stability and cooperation, recognized the need to promote energy<br \/>\ndialogue and collaboration among the three countries based on<br \/>\ninternational law and the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, for the<br \/>\ncommon good. They stressed the need to respect the sovereignty of states<br \/>\n over their territorial sea and their sovereign rights, inter alia, the<br \/>\nright to enter into bilateral agreements and to explore and exploit<br \/>\nnatural resources in their Exclusive Economic Zones, in accordance with<br \/>\nthe EU acquis and international law, including the UN Convention on the<br \/>\nLaw of the Sea. <\/p>\n<p>They underlined their willingness to join<br \/>\nefforts for the protection of antiquities and for the preservation and<br \/>\ndevelopment of historical and archaeological sites, with the view to<br \/>\nsafeguard the historical memory of their peoples and the common heritage<br \/>\n of mankind, as well as their readiness to cooperate, inter alia, for<br \/>\nthe protection of underwater cultural heritage.<\/p>\n<p>The Parties<br \/>\nagreed to further promote Trilateral consultations and to expand their<br \/>\ndialogue at all levels with the aim of promoting common interests and<br \/>\ncontributing to regional peace, stability, security and prosperity.<\/p>\n<p>It<br \/>\n is expected that the next Trilateral meeting will take place at the<br \/>\nlevel of Ministers of Foreign Affairs, at a time and place to be decided<br \/>\n through diplomatic channels. <\/p>\n<p>Trilateral meetings at the level of Secretary General will also take place annually, as well as when necessary.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>JOINT STATEMENT 1st Trilateral Political Consultations between Secretaries General of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Greece, Cyprus and Lebanon, Athens, May 11, 2016 Following the meeting of the Foreign Ministers of Cyprus, Lebanon and Greece in Brussels, on the 15th of February 2016, the 1st Trilateral Political Consultations at the level of the Secretary [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1757","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-embassy-news"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mfa.gr\/cyprus\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1757","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mfa.gr\/cyprus\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mfa.gr\/cyprus\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mfa.gr\/cyprus\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mfa.gr\/cyprus\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1757"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.mfa.gr\/cyprus\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1757\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mfa.gr\/cyprus\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1757"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mfa.gr\/cyprus\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1757"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mfa.gr\/cyprus\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1757"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}