Leaders call for joint efforts on trade, tourism and refugees

Cyprus hosted the first trilateral summit with Jordan and Greece on Tuesday where the leaders of the three countries pledged to boost efforts to help resolve refugee problems and descale regional, while at the same time co-operate on a number of issues, ranging from culture to trade and shipping.

After the meeting in Nicosia, the three leaders made joint statements, with President Nicos Anastasiades saying that “today’s trilateral meeting reaffirms the excellent relations and the bonds of friendship among the three countries and it lays the foundations of a strategic regional cooperation and its expansion in many sectors.”

The President noted that “we welcome the laudable ‘Aqaba Process’ initiative of the King of Jordan and I congratulated the country for the exemplary political conscientiousness and humane sensitivity that it demonstrates.”

In a joint decelaration, Anastasiades, King Abdullah II of Jordan and Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras of Greece said they expressed a “commitment to lay the groundwork for the strengthening of the cooperation between our three countries in many areas of common interest. It is a dynamic and not a static process. We are ready to expand, deepen and enrich this partnership that will reach out not only to the public sector, but also to the private sector, other interested stakeholders and our societies as a whole.”

On the thorny issue of Jerusalem, where President Donald Trump said he would relocate the US diplomatic mission and recognise it as the capital of Israel, the hoint declaration maintained “our common position that the status of Jerusalem, the holy city of the three monotheistic faiths, must be determined within the framework of a comprehensive solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. We appreciate and recognise the highly constructive and important contribution of Jordan in the Middle East Peace Process and the efforts of King Abdullah II the Custodian of Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem, in safeguarding the city’s holy sites and preserving the legal and historical status-quo in Jerusalem.”

“Jordan is at the frontline of the fight against terrorism and as such, we express wholehearted support to Jordan’s efforts to counter this phenomenon … for discussions and consolidating the global front against terrorism.

“We recognise that the effective management of the large numbers of refugees, a direct consequence of the conflicts in the region and especially the war in Syria, will only be possible with the achievement of a political solution. At the same time, we emphasise the need to implement the basic principles of solidarity and support to the countries which have been called upon to play a major role through receiving vast numbers of refugees and through addressing the severe humanitarian consequences.

“In this context, we reiterate the need for the EU to support Jordan with regard to the burdens and challenges related to hosting over 1.3 million Syrian refugees. We also underline the crucial role of Greece with regard to the reception and accommodation of the refugees and appreciated the humane treatment of the refugees in the countries.”

The joint declaration said that after two preparatory trilateral meetings held in Nicosia (2016) and Athens (2017), joint proposals have been formulated in the areas of renewable energy resources and energy efficiency, management of water resources, agriculture, aquaculture, tourism, transport and merchant shipping, protection of antiquities and health.

“Increasing energy efficiency and the use of renewable energy sources is an environmental and strategic target in our countries. We acknowledge the importance of reducing the consequences of global warming and climate change, thereby ensuring a sustainable energy future for our economies, our societies and the environment. In this regard, we express our determination to strengthen our collaboration, in particular in the fields of energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies, including the crucial issue of financing and securing investments.”

Water scarcity, agriculture education and innovation, tourism and maritime transport were also discussed particularly as regards inspection of vessels, ‘seafarers’ training and certification issues and implementation of international maritime conventions adopted in the context of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO).

Arrangements were signed between Cyprus and Jordan, and undertakings between Jordan and Greece, on mutual recognition of certificates of competency, and certificates of proficiency for seafarers, in accordance with respective provisions of the International Convention of Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW), 1978.

On the protection of antiquities, an agreement was signed on the prevention of theft, clandestine excavation and illicit import, export or transfer of ownership of cultural property and the promotion of its restitution. This comprehensive and inclusive document also contains provisions for training and exchanges, as well as joint research projects.

The trilateral declaration also welcomed the “Convention on Offences Related to Cultural Property” which was opened for signature on May 19, 2017 in Nicosia, recognising its importance as the only international treaty specifically dealing with the criminalisation of the illicit trafficking of cultural property.

Co-operation was also explored in areas of digital and communication technologies, the critical health sector, prevention and responding to diseases and disasters and healthcare challenges related to the migrant-refugee issue.

It was agreed that the second trilateral summit will be held in Amman.

Despite the hype raised prior to the trilateral summit, no deal was announced on pumping natural gas from the Cyprus offshore fields to Jordan, either from floating plants or via Egypt, where Cyprus gas could be shipped for processing and export.