Mitsotakis, Netanyahu discuss plans for new meeting with Cyprus

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussed plans for another tripartite summit with Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides when they met on the sidelines of the United Nations general assembly in New York, Netanyahu’s office said. It said that Netanyahu had “emphasised the importance of the strategic partnership” between Israel and Greece and “welcomed Greece’s selection of Israeli defence systems”, in reference to the new “Achilles shield” multi-layered air defence system which will be provided to Greece by Israel. “The two discussed regional developments, energy cooperation, and the advancement of another tripartite summit with Cyprus,” it said. The most recent such tripartite summit was held in Jerusalem in December last year, with a joint declaration stating that the three wished to express their “unwavering commitment to strengthen our cooperation, enhancing the security and resilience of our nations for generations to come”. Related Articles • Cyprus a ‘litmus test’ of UN’s credibility, Mitsotakis tells general assembly • Netanyahu tells UN Erdogan ‘illegally occupies northern Cyprus’ • Turkey ‘closely monitoring military developments in Cyprus’ • Cyprus, Greece and Israel ‘do not have good relations with Turkey’ • Georgiou demands end to EU ‘double standards’ over ‘genocide’ in Israel More recently, in May, Israel’s then deputy foreign minister Sharren Haskel extolled the “alliance of stability” her country has formed with both Greece and Cyprus, pushing back against distaste, particularly in Turkey and inside the Turkish Cypriot community, at deepening relations between Greece, Cyprus, and Israel. “Look at what is happening around the world – so much war, instability, the radicalisation of so many countries, whether it is Iraq, Lebanon, and the Iranian army of Hezbollah, the [Islamic revolutionary guards], the army of Hezbollah has been destroying the country,” she told Greek public broadcaster ERT. She added that “they are doing the same in Iraq” and that “they have destroyed Iran, persecuted their own people, and they are exporting this radicalisation and instability to so many other continents”. “In a world of radicalisation, we need to create an alliance of stability,” she said. Haskel resigned as deputy foreign minister in July, saying that she could no longer support the Israeli government allowing Haredi Jews, also known as ultra-Orthodox Jews, to evade conscription into the Israel Defence Forces. Republic of Cyprus’ close relations with Israel have drawn criticism The deepening of relations between the Republic of Cyprus and Israel has drawn pushback, however, with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan having said that the Israeli government “met with the Greek Cypriot administration and formed an alliance against Muslim countries in the region” during his intervention at April’s Antalya diplomacy forum. “We do not do what they do. We are looking for ways to extinguish the conflicts in our region, ensure economic progress, and bring stability to life,” he said. Later, when asked about relations between the Greek Cypriots and Israel, he said that Turkey’s “reaction” to them has been “minimal”, as “we never wanted to disturb the spirit of cooperation” between Turkey and Greece. The Greek Cypriot side’s political gravitation towards Israel had also been criticised by Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman during his appearance at the same forum. “If an alliance is formed with a state which kills children, and this is done by violating the will and sovereignty of the Turkish Cypriot people, I will explain this to the entire international community. This is a violation of my sovereign rights, my equal sovereign rights,” he said. In May, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused Israel of “piracy and banditry” when the country’s navy intercepted a fleet of boats attempting to break the country’s blockade of Gaza and deliver humanitarian aid to the strip some 90 nautical miles off the coast of Cyprus.