Cyprus, Greece and Egypt signed a new declaration of co-operation today; the aim of the ‘Cairo Declaration is to bring stability to the region and wealth to their peoples, ‘Cyprus Mail’ reports.
President Nicos Anastasiades, Greek PM Antonis Samaras and Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al Sisi signed the declaration at a tripartite meeting in Cairo.
It covers the Cyprus problem, addresses Turkey’s presence in [South] Cyprus’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and accelerating negotiations to delineate the EEZs of Greece and Egypt that have not yet been set.
“We stressed the importance to respect Cyprus’ sovereign rights and jurisdiction of its EEZ and called on Turkey to end all of its on-going exploratory activities within Cyprus’ EEZ and avoid similar activities in the future,” the declaration says.
The declaration also says that the discovery of hydrocarbons in the Eastern Mediterranean can be a catalyst for regional cooperation which will be better served with dedication to the international law.
“In this direction, we place emphasis on the ecumenical character of the UN Convention of the Law of the Sea and we have decided to speed up the negotiations for the delimitation of maritime zones, where this has not been defined yet,” the declaration says.
The three countries are calling for a just and lasting settlement of the Cyprus problem that will reunite the island according to international law, including the United Nations’ Security Council votes.
