The Presidents of the Parliaments of Cyprus, Egypt and Greece have stressed the significance of turning energy into a catalyst for peace and prosperity and of promoting energy security, in strict compliance with international law and the respect of States’ sovereign energy rights.

Demetris Syllouris, Ali Abdel Aal and Nikos Voutsis held on Monday their 1st Trilateral Meeting in Nicosia, focusing on the fields of energy,  tourism and education and culture. Following their consultations, the three Speakers adopted a joint Statemen. It was agreed that the 2nd meeting will take place in Greece in 2020 whereas Egypt will host the 3rd trilateral meeting.

In the Statement Syllouris, Abdel Aal and Voutsis stress the importance of parliamentary cooperation between the three countries which complements the close intergovernmental cooperation and is based on shared values and principles. This cooperation, is underlined, is to the benefit of the three countries and their respective peoples and the goals of peace, stability and prosperity in the region.

As regards the cooperation in the fields of energy, tourism, education and culture, the Presidents of the three Parliaments agreed to further strengthen the cooperation between the three Bodies through regular exchanges and in the framework of international parliamentary organizations.  The usefulness of further expanding cooperation to the level of competent parliamentary committees, to promote the exchange of knowledge, best practices and legislative experience, was also highlighted, the joint Statement reads.

The Presidents have also agreed to fully exploit the potential of parliamentary diplomacy and to consider the possibility of cooperating with other Parliaments of countries in the region which share the same principles.

In the joint Statement it is also underlined that the three Presidents have focused more particularly on joint initiatives and actions, which aim at further promoting energy saving, energy efficiency and environmental protection and at combating marine pollution and in this context, the benefits of maximizing the use of renewable energy sources were highlighted.

The three Presidents also agreed to further encourage synergies in the field of research and innovation with respect to energy between competent institutions and stakeholders from the three countries.

Regarding the field of tourism, the Statement says that the three Presidents discussed ways to further promote cooperation in the joint tourist packages, targeting new markets as well as by diversifying and upgrading common thematic travel and the need to engage the Diaspora whose contribution is substantial.

In the fields of education and culture Syllouris, Abdel Aal and Voutsis discussed possible ways to further foster mutual understanding and closer people-to-people relations. They also paid attention in promoting and teaching of Arabic and Greek languages and they highlighted the rich cultural heritage of the three countries, pointing out the need to build on cooperation initiated at the bilateral and trilateral levels aiming at combating the illicit trade of antiquities and of other heritage treasures.

Moreover , they affirmed their intention to promote the regular exchange of information and best practices, as key tool in joint and parallel efforts by Cyprus, Egypt and Greece in this field.