President Christodoulides, Nikos, Prime Minister Mitsotakis, Kyriakos said this is not our first meeting. It's our 10th meeting. But I said in our discussions that I think it's the most consequential. The last time the three of us met was a short time before the October 7th massacre, before terror once again reminded us that stability in this region is never guaranteed, and then strength, clarity and cooperation are not options. They are a must. The Middle East and the Eastern Mediterranean are being tested by aggression, terrorism, and instability. Our partnership provides strength, clarity, and cooperation that will prevail over chaos. It also offers new opportunities for prosperity. We're cooperating and discussed in detail cooperation in many fields: energy, technology, connectivity, and also security that guarantees this all. We will advance the IMEC, the India-Middle East-Europe economic corridor. This is an idea that has been brought forward before, but we think we have to put it into reality. It's a maritime rail pipeline, energy pipeline, and cable connectivity between Asia and Europe going through Israel, Cyprus, and Greece. And as part of this effort, we are advancing the Great Sea Connector that will enable electric energy cooperation between our three countries and Europe and the Arabian Peninsula, and ultimately you can connect it to Asia as well. So this is a big thing, and in many ways it's the skeleton of the IMEC corridor. We discussed practically how to move this forward, and we intend to advance it. I'll also discuss it in my upcoming meeting with President Trump in the United States. We agreed to deepen cooperation in artificial intelligence and cyber security, advanced research. Israel is already a global technology leader, and together with Greece and Cyprus, we will shape the region's future in cutting edge new technologies. I want to tell you that a lot is going on right now. Israeli high-tech companies are flocking to Cyprus and to Greece. It basically says that they believe in the economic management. We're not jealous. We believe in competition. There are 186 flights a week between Israel and Cyprus. It's unbelievable. Just compute that, how many flights a day. I don't know of many Israeli investors who have not visited Greece or are not investing in Greece. An increasing amount are growing there, and again I think this is a sign of the dynamism of our economies. Israel's economy, which has been rated third by The Economist as the most vibrant economy on the planet, third most vibrant economy on the planet. I think we were short changed, but that's all right. But I believe that there is dynamism here, there is at once great opportunity but also great challenges, and we recognize them. We affirmed our commitment to expanding the Abraham Accords, to widening the circle of cooperation between Israel and the Arab world. We also express support for Lebanon's sovereignty and for a future in which legitimate state institutions hold authority and military power, and not terrorist militias. We agreed today to deepen our security and defense cooperation. The threats we face are real. Together, we're defending not only our own nations, but vital sea lanes and critical infrastructure that the global economy depends on. I cannot skip the opportunity to call for the immediate return of Rani Gilli, the Israeli hostage that is still held by Hamas. This is contrary to the laws of war, and this is something that has to be completed. But we are in general fighting a battle for an orderly future of states that wants to seize the future against those forces who want to drag us back to a dark medieval past that has nothing to do with modernity, nothing to do with progress. Now, Israel, Greece, and Cyprus are three ancient countries with ancient peoples. Jerusalem and Athens are the foundations of Western civilization, and in Cyprus both cultures flourished. So you have to go to the Western Wall in Jerusalem or you go to the Acropolis in Athens or you go to the incredible historic museum in Nicosia, which I did, and you see the glory of our past. So all three of us are very proud of our history in our ancestral homelands as we seize the future. Now, it is true that all of our countries were conquered in the past by a succession of empires. But through courage and sacrifice, we achieved our independence in modern times: Greece 195 years ago, Israel 78 years ago, Cyprus 65 years ago. To those who fantasize they can reestablish their empires and their dominion over our lands, I say forget it. It's not going to happen. Don't even think about it. We are committed and able to defend ourselves, and our cooperation further enhances that capability. Together, we three genuine democracies in the Eastern Mediterranean shall advance security, prosperity, and liberty. With God's help, we will bring a brighter and safer future to our nations and to the entire region. Together, we'll bring stability through strength, prosperity through strength, and most important, peace through strength. I wish to wish you all happy holidays. Thank you, dear Benjamin, dear Kyriakos.
On this final day of Hanukkah, allow me to start by conveying my warm wishes to Jewish communities around the world. Regrettably, the first day of Hanukkah was marked by a horrific anti-Semitic attack in Australia. So, I would like to stress once again that we stand in solidarity with all those affected and reaffirm our unwavering commitment to fighting anti-Semitism. Dear friends, today during our deliberations, we reaffirm the strategic nature of our alliance anchored in shared values, common interest, and converging objectives driven by a vision for regional integration, prosperity, stability, and of course security. And I have to say that our trilateral format has further matured and deepened our cooperation in a broad range of sectors, including energy and interconnectivity, of course security and defense, maritime cooperation, crisis preparedness and civil protection, innovation and security, as well as people-to-people contacts. The prime minister very correctly mentioned the 186 flights that we have every week during summer time from Israel. I'm also particularly pleased today for the revived trilateral secretariat in Cyprus in Nicosia, which now provides an institutional framework for task forces, working groups, and finalization and implementation of pending agreements. With regard to the situation in Gaza, we also reiterate our unwavering support for President Trump's 20-point plan and the full implementation of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2803. Cyprus, as you know, building upon the Amalia plan, continues to support humanitarian assistance, security, and early recovery efforts through our six-point plan first presented during the Sharm el-Sheikh meeting in October, which fully aligns with President Trump's initiative, as well as through our active participation in the civil-military coordination center, always in full respect of Israel's legitimate security needs. Energy and connectivity were also central during today's discussions. We reaffirm the strategic importance of the Great Sea Interconnector and broader electricity and energy connectivity projects, notably IMEC, to which Cyprus, Greece, and Israel serve as its Mediterranean link, offering a southeastern gateway connecting Europe with the Middle East and beyond. This initiative strengthens our trilateral but also our regional cooperation, supports diversification, and also enhances regional resilience, fully aligned with our shared objective of secure, sustainable, and interconnected energy markets. On maritime security, we express our commitment to strengthening cooperation to safeguard sea lanes and critical infrastructure, and welcome the establishment of the trilateral maritime cyber security center of excellence in Cyprus, to be inaugurated in 2026. At the same time, we underline the added value of the 3+1 format with the United States, which amplifies our trilateral cooperation and aligns with the wider regional architecture. This format has proven to be a credible model for advancing stability, connectivity, and strategic cooperation, and we are committed to further reinforcing it. In the same vein, we discuss defense and security cooperation. We can do much more and will do so also within the 3+1 framework, recognizing at the same time that much more can be achieved in the fields of counterterrorism, cyber, and energy security, always in support of regional stability. Allow me also to say that as today's summit takes place just 8 days before Cyprus assumed the presidency of the Council of the European Union, we had the opportunity to exchange ideas, especially having in mind that one of our key priorities will be the further strengthening of the European Union's relations with the region, including of course Israel. Dear friends, our presence here today is not symbolic. It is substantive. The partnership between Cyprus, Greece, and Israel is of strategic importance, not only for our three countries, but also for our region and beyond. And together we'll continue to work in a spirit of trust and cooperation to strengthen stability, security, and prosperity throughout the Eastern Mediterranean. Thank you, Prime Minister.
