Greek PM, Cypriot president say trilateral summit with Egypt important

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades have stressed the importance of a trilateral summit between their countries and Egypt late April.

The summit will be held in Nicosia on April 29 with the aim to discuss cooperation between the three countries, which play important roles in maintaining peace and stability in the Middle East, the two leaders said in a joint press conference.

The Greek Embassy in Cairo distributed a statement highlighting Tsipras' desire to benefit from his country's geopolitical potentials in the conclusive negotiations with Europe.

Greece, he said, has lost a great part of its economic energy during its crisis, but it has not lost its geopolitical power.

He also touched upon threats posed by jihadi ideologies promoted by the terrorist Daesh organization.

Both Greece and Cypriot represent stability points in the region and should, therefore, remain strong, Tsipras said.

Solving the Cypriot problem will, according to Tsipras, contribute to creating a more favorable climate in Europe in terms of security and stability.

He also touched upon the oil wealth in Cyprus, which has petroleum and natural gas fields. Reserves might very well be found in the south of the Greek island of Crete and opposite the western coast of Greece, he added. The Greek prime minister called for outlining a strategy to use them all.