Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi met this afternoon in Greece with his Greek and Cypriot counterparts, Nikos Denidas and Nikos Christodoulides. The trilateral meeting was dedicated to issues of energy, security and diplomatic developments, showcasing the strong strategic alliance between these three countries.

"I am very happy to be here today, to continue the tradition of the trilateral meetings between Greece, Cyprus and Israel. Ever since I took office as Israel’s foreign minister, I considered these meetings extremely important," said Ashkenazi after the meeting, adding, "The partnership between us contributes to keeping the stability and advancing prosperity and security for the entire region." Ashkenazi said that agreements with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Sudan have created a new circle of strategic, commercial and tourism cooperation, and called upon the Palestinian leadership to seize the moment and realize the magnitude of this opportunity for peace. He emphasized that he is a great believer in the power of the trilateral diplomacy to strengthen the security of all three countries. "I intend to personally advance this partnership in connecting infrastructure in the fields of strategy, technology, electricity and more," he stated.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has spent the past few years nurturing and developing Israel’s partnership with Greece and with Cyprus, counterbalancing deteriorating ties with Turkey. In fact, the worse ties became between Jerusalem and Ankara, the stronger grew the alliance with Athens and Nicosia.

Last June, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis was the first foreign leader to arrive in Israel since the coronavirus pandemic began. Mitsotakis arrived in the country heading a large official delegation including five ministers. The two governments held their fourth Government-to-Government (G2G) forum in Jerusalem.