We the Ministers for Foreign Affairs of Cyprus, Egypt and Greece, along with our counterparts of Bahrain, France, Saudi Arabia and the Minister of State for International Cooperation of the United Arab Emirates,
Met in Athens, on February 11, 2021 to exchange views on issues of common interest and concern, with the aim of further strengthening our cooperation and actively contributing to the consolidation of peace, stability and security in the wider region.
In this context, we reiterated our common adherence to International Law, including the UN Charter, UN Security Council Resolutions and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) to which we are all signatories. We stressed our strong commitment to fundamental principles enshrined therein, such as the respect of the sovereignty, sovereign rights, independence and territorial integrity of states, the peaceful resolution of differences and rejection of threat or use of force, the non-interference in other counties’ internal affairs and the freedom of navigation.
We recognized that, in this critical juncture, overshadowed by the global pandemic, the need to demonstrate solidarity and coordinate our efforts in order to minimize the repercussions of this health crisis on our economies, is all the more urgent.
In this light, we expressed our readiness to promote result-oriented exchanges, as well as joint actions and initiatives in such fields as energy, innovation, digital economy, civil protection and people to people contacts. In the same vein, we also explored possibilities for further cooperation in the fields of science, agriculture, food security, academic education and training, interfaith dialogue, culture and sports.
We also exchanged views on major international and regional issues, including developments in the Middle East Peace Process, the Cyprus issue, Syria, Libya, Yemen and the Eastern Mediterranean.
We agreed on this format of dialogue and cooperation, henceforth referred to as “Philia Forum – Building Friendship, Peace and Prosperity from the Mediterranean to the Gulf”, being effective, yet flexible and open to other countries of the region and beyond that share the aforementioned values and principles.
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