Joint Statement by the Foreign Ministers of Armenia, Cyprus and Greece
04 June, 2019The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Cyprus, H.E. Mr. Nikos Christodoulides, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia, H.E. Mr. Zohrab Mnatsakanyan, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Hellenic Republic, H.E. Mr. Giorgos Katrougalos, met in Nicosia on 4 June 2019 and decided to establish a trilateral partnership between their countries.
The Ministers concurred that the guiding principles of the tripartite cooperation, which is based on the common values, culture and heritage of the three countries, are the respect of international law and the purposes and principles enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations.
In this framework, the Ministers agreed that the purpose of this trilateral cooperation is the promotion of peace, stability and prosperity through enhanced political dialogue and cooperation among the three countries.
The Ministers acknowledged the importance and efficacy of the trilateral cooperation and underlined their commitment to broaden and deepen this cooperation and to identify synergies in various fields of common interest, such as economy, trade and investments, agriculture, education and science, IT and innovation, healthcare, crisis management, culture and tourism, recognizing their significance to the respective economies and the citizens of the three countries.
To this effect, they agreed to share information, exchange best practices and expertise, and submit, in the coming months, concrete proposals for possible cooperation in the aforesaid areas, to be discussed in their next trilateral meeting.
Moreover, the Ministers agreed to further extend their cooperation in international fora and highlighted the importance of coordinating action of their diaspora in important decision-making centres worldwide.
The Ministers had an exchange of views on the Cyprus problem and the violations of the EEZ of the Republic of Cyprus by Turkey, the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and the efforts to reduce tensions under the auspicies of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship, and the implementation of the Prespa Agreement. They also discussed international issues and topics of common interest and concern.
Moreover, they discussed the relations between the EU and the Republic of Armenia. Cyprus and Greece expressed their support to the strengthening of these relations, in the framework of the Eastern Partnership and the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement between the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community and their Member States, of the one part, and the Republic of Armenia, of the other part, which was signed in Brussels, on 24 November 2017 and entered into provisional application on 1 June 2018. In this regard, the Ministers underlined the importance of a prompt ratification of the Agreement by all Parties, which will enable its full entry into force.
The Ministers agreed that the first Summit, at the level of Heads of States and/or Governments, will be hosted by Armenia in January 2020.