Cyprus and Greece have asserted they will continue supporting Egypt in the European Union, Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades said on Tuesday, during the fifth tripartite summit between the three countries. Cooperation in the energy field came at he forefront of the summit, as the leaders declared finding new gas fields in the eastern Mediterranean. This came among other issues discussed, including Cypriot issues and economic cooperation. In his speech, President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi said that "the mechanism of cooperation between our countries started with the aim of strengthening relations between our countries. However, I can confirm with confidence that since its declaration on 11 November in Cairo, this mechanism has become one of the most important pillars of maintaining security and stability in the east." The three leaders signed during a meeting tripartite cooperation agreement in the field of tourism. The meeting. The summit discussions reviewed ways to enhance economic cooperation between the three countries and followed up on development of joint projects and new areas of joint cooperation to achieve goals of providing new job opportunities for the youth of Egypt, Greece, and Cyprus. Regarding the Cypriot crisis, Anastasiades said, during a press conference, that the three countries have recently reached a solution to it, "but unfortunately, Turkey's insistence was the reason for the failure," adding that the issue is an ongoing dialogue, so that all parties can be aware of the intentions of all sides. The Cypriot president said that the meeting witnessed the exchange of ideas and discussions on the situation in Lebanon, aiming to achieve its security and discussed the international community's attempts and the role that countries such as Egypt play in bringing peace to the region. They further talked about the situation in Syria and the necessity of respecting the resolutions of the United Nations Security Council, he also said. On the sidelines of the tripartite summit, Al-Sisi met with Greek prime minister Alexis Tsipras and addressed the latest developments in the Middle East and Mediterranean and discussed ways to confront terrorism and efforts to resolve existing crises in the region. Both leaders agreed that the Egyptian-Greek Friendship Association will be launched in 2018 and stressed the importance of using this opportunity to highlight the positive results of the development of relations between the two countries. In October 2016, the fourth round of the trilateral summit between Egypt, Cyprus, and Greece was held in Cairo. As a result of the summit, the three countries agreed to work on implementing projects in the fields of energy, maritime transport, tourism, and agriculture.
