The next steps for the further expansion and deepening of the bilateral relations between the Republic of Cyprus and the USA were taken on the table during the meeting that the Minister of Foreign Affairs Ioannis Kasoulidis had with the American counterpart Anthony Blinken. In this light, the need for a political upgrade of the 3 + 1 cooperation scheme (Greece, Cyprus, Israel and the USA) was discussed. “I told him that we need political support from the top down (of the cooperation scheme) 3 + 1. “He nodded his head,” said the Cypriot Foreign Minister.
Officially check if the EastMed pipeline is economically viable
Mr. Kasoulides referred to the position of Nicosia for the EastMed pipeline, saying that it has not changed. The Foreign Minister stressed the importance of economic and environmental sustainability and the geopolitical factor, saying that these criteria should be assessed through a formal process.
“We have explained the issue of the EastMed pipeline, that is, our position is what we have taken since we started, to check first if it is economically viable, then if it is environmentally sound and thirdly the geopolitical ones. If the statement made by a State Department adviser that it is not financially viable is correct, then how can we proceed? It’s difficult, it’s a lot of money. But we will officially see this when the time comes. “If it turns out that it is not financially viable, it is obligatory for us to stay there”, pointed out Mr. Kasoulidis.
Regarding the US position, the Cypriot Foreign Minister stated that for Washington the issue of the pipeline is not permanently closed. “The minister (Anthony Blinken) did not say that it was closed either. He said that if the results prove that he is not financially viable, he agreed with us that then he will stop. “
Cyprus
Regarding the Cyprus issue, the Minister referred to Mr. Blinken’s stance, saying that he expressed concern that the forthcoming elections in Turkey and the Republic of Cyprus may be an obstacle to the resumption of talks within the framework of the bi-zonal and bi-communal federations United Nations. For his part, Mr. Kasoulidis placed special emphasis on the initiative of President Anastasiadis for the implementation of important Confidence Building Measures.
“I referred to President Anastasiadis’s proposal for Confidence-Building Measures, major Confidence-Building Measures, to remove from the Turkish Cypriot rhetoric that they have changed line and want separate sovereignty and two states due to the fact that we remain in isolation when we fail. the official rule of law, the answer is here is the wheel and here is the leap. “If they accept the handover of Tumble Airport to the United Nations, they will be able to trade and there will be no isolation, meaning that the enclave of Varos will be handed over to the United Nations as provided for in the resolutions.”
Regional Developments
During the meeting, the two ministers discussed all current geopolitical developments, including the crisis in Ukraine, the situation in Lebanon and terrorist acts in the Gulf region. “After we first talked about the crisis in Eastern Europe, I told him that the abdomen of this region of Ukraine is the Eastern Mediterranean and we must look within the scope of our relations to see how Cyprus’s relations with the United States are entering.”
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