Foreign Affairs Minister Ioannis Kasoulides underlined the effects that the Russian invasion of Ukraine has also had on Egypt, as well as its role in energy and migration issues, during the Foreign Affairs Council meeting in Luxembourg on Monday.
Kasoulides also expressed Cyprus’ support to his Greek counterpart’s positions regarding Turkey’s recent behaviour, and referred to how Cyprus is also affected.
According to a Foreign Affairs Ministry statement, during a discussion on current affairs, Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias briefed his counterparts in relation to Turkey’s ongoing provocative behaviour, referring, among other things, “to the ongoing violations of Greek airspace, military exercises on Turkey’s coastline, claims on Greek islands, the instrumentalisation of migrants and, in general, inflammatory statements by Turkish officials.”
On his part, Kasoulides “expressed his full support to Greece and underlined our great concern about what is happening in the Aegean because, as he pointed out, this is also transferred to Cyprus through the illegal visit of the Turkish Foreign Minister to the occupied territories, through illegal actions in the enclosed area of Varosha and generally through the toxic environment maintained by the Turkish Cypriot leadership.”
This concern, he stressed, “lies in the fact that Cyprus is the most vulnerable point in terms of all of Turkey’s threats.” EU High Representative Josep Borrell and “a significant number of member states” supported the Greek and Cypriot position, according to the statement.
In the context of the discussion on Ukraine, Kasoulides referred to the “serious secondary effects” of the Russian invasion, and stressed that the food crisis is a huge challenge for the EU and that the EU must take initiatives, “starting of course first from our neighbourhood”.
On this point he referred specifically to Egypt, which he described as a key country for the stability of the wider region. “Given that 90% of Egypt’s grain imports come from Russia and Ukraine, the impact of the war in Egypt is undoubtedly huge,” he said, noting that for a country like Egypt with a population of 100 million people, the issue of ensuring food sufficiency is an essential element for social stability in the country.
Kasoulides also stressed that Cyprus, as a “member-state integrally integrated in the Eastern Mediterranean region”, supports the strategic strengthening of the EU’s relations with Egypt, making “special reference to Egypt’s role in the migration issue and the issue of tackling climate change.”
Also, according to the statement, the MFA highlighted “Egypt’s role in the aspects of energy diversification and interconnectivity, welcoming the signing of the EU – Egypt – Israel Memorandum of Understanding” as an important step “towards the realisation of the objective of creating a reliable alternative energy corridor in the Eastern Mediterranean region”. Cyprus’ initiatives through the trilaterals and the East Mediterranean Gas Forum are a part of this approach, he added.
Referring to the prospect of Ukraine’s accession to the EU, Kasoulides noted that Cyprus is ready to support the granting of candidate status to Ukraine “provided that a meritocratic approach is followed without making promises that we cannot keep.”
Finally, he reiterated Cyprus’ position on the importance of convening the EU-Israel Association Council in the near future.
Source: Cyprus News Agency