Christodoulides meets with Israel Allies Foundation

Challenges in the wider region and the promotion of cooperation will be the central aims of a joint group of some MPs and the Israel Allies Foundation (IAF), Diko MP Chrysis Pantelides and IAF President Josh Reinstein said on Wednesday. Speaking after a meeting with President Nikos Christodoulides and Diko MP Andreas Apostolou, as well as Elam MP Sotiris Ioannou, Pantelides said that a group of six MPs from Disy, Diko and Elam had established a cooperation group with the international Israel Allies Foundation which aimed to strengthen bilateral relations and promote shared goals. Meanwhile Reinstein said that the group had discussed the “the great relations” between Israel and Cyprus, and that the two countries’ relations under Christodoulides presidency, “have grown in leaps and bounds”. He added that since its launch almost 20 years ago, the IAF has established 67 Israel Allies caucuses in parliaments all over the world, with the one in the Cyprus parliament being the 68th caucus which joins a network of 1,700 legislators in 68 countries globally. Earlier this week, a cross-party group of MPs founded a Cyprus section of Transatlantic Friends of Israel (TFI), led by Diko leader Nikolas Papadopoulos with Disy MPs George Karoullas, Charalambos Petrides, as well as Elam MP Sotiris Ioannou as its deputies. Papadopoulos said that there was a mutual understanding between the three parties that steps taken by the government to deepen cooperation with the United States and Israel were “absolutely” right, noting that the group aimed to support cooperation in the defence and energy sector. With a combined total of 33 seats in parliament, the Disy, Diko and Elam bloc is able to pass resolutions and ratify international agreements in support of closer ties with Israel.