‘As much potential remains untapped, it is important to maximise return from cooperation to joint benefit’

Following is the full text of the declaration released at the conclusion of the Jordan-Cyprus-Greece second trilateral summit on Sunday:

“We, Abdullah II ibn Al Hussein, the King of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, Nicos Anastasiades, president of the Republic of Cyprus, and Alexis Tsipras, prime minister of the Hellenic Republic, having met in Amman today, April 14, 2019, have agreed to strengthen the trilateral cooperation between our countries in order to promote a partnership in various fields of common interest, and to work together towards promoting peace, stability, security and prosperity in the region, and we have agreed to build on the outcomes of our first trilateral summit, which took place in Nicosia on January 16, 2018.

Since our first trilateral summit, significant progress has been achieved in various fields of cooperation. In the meantime, much potential remains untapped and it is important to focus our attention on such areas in order to maximise the return from our cooperation, to our joint benefit.

We agree that the core values of our trilateral cooperation are the respect for international law and for the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter including: the maintenance of international peace and security, respect for the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of states, the prohibition on acquisition of territory by force, development of friendly relations among nations and the settlement of international disputes by peaceful means.

We also stress the importance for the respect of the sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction each state has over its maritime zones in accordance with international law.

We strongly reaffirm our support for a comprehensive, just, negotiated and lasting settlement of the Israeli- Palestinian conflict based on the two-state solution and in accordance with international law, relevant UN resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative. We maintain 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 that guarantees the establishment of an independent, viable and contiguous Palestinian state on pre-June 1967 lines, with East Jerusalem as its capital living side by side with Israel.

We emphasise the relevant United Nations’ Security Council and General Assembly resolutions on the status of Jerusalem.

We reaffirm our support to the endeavours of His Majesty King Abdullah II ibn Al Hussein, the Custodian of Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem, in safeguarding such sites and preserving the legal and historic status-quo therein, and in accordance with the declaration of the 1st Summit of the League of Arab States [LAS] and the European Union [EU] member states held on February 24-25, 2019 in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.

We reaffirm our steadfast support to the ongoing efforts for the resumption of the negotiating process, under the Good Office Mission of the UN Secretary General, for a just, comprehensive and viable settlement of the Cyprus problem, in line with the relevant United Nations resolutions, international law and the principles upon which the EU is founded. We stress the indispensable role of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) in ensuring peace and stability in line with the United Nations’ purposes and principles as enshrined in the UN Charter. We commend the efforts of the president and the government of the Republic of Cyprus to reach a solution that will reunify the island and safeguard Cyprus’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity. We underline that a comprehensive settlement would not only benefit the people of Cyprus, but also significantly contribute to peace and stability of the region.

Jordan is at the frontline of the fight against terrorism and as such, we express resolute support to Jordan’s efforts to counter this phenomenon in a holistic approach, particularly to the key platform that His Majesty King Abdullah II ibn Al Hussein established through the Aqaba Process Initiative, which offers for collaborative exchanges, consolidating the global front against terrorism and preventing violent extremism. In this context, and further to the 3rd Rhodes Ministerial Conference for Stability and Security, which took place in June 2018, we welcome the upcoming 4th Rhodes Ministerial Conference, to take place on June 27-28, 2019.

We commend the holding of the first EU-LAS Summit, which took place on the 24th and 25th of February 2019 in Egypt, and opened the door to deepen cooperation on shared strategic priorities including security threats, regional crises, climate change, migration and refugees.

We express our commitment to the unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria. We emphasise the need for a political solution to the conflict and in accordance with UNSC Resolution 2254 that would enable the voluntary return of Syrian refugees and all IDP’s to their homes. We extend our full support to the new UN envoy to Syria and his efforts in the framework of the Geneva Process.

We reaffirm the responsibility of the international community to manage the refugee crisis on the basis of the principles of solidarity and equitable burden-sharing, and we appreciate the role of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan for hosting over 1.3 million Syrians. We acknowledge the instrumental role of the EU in supporting Jordan to overcome the crisis, thus helping the achievement of stability and security in the region. We also underline the crucial role of Greece with regard to the reception and accommodation of the refugees and appreciate the humane treatment of the refugees in the country. Cyprus’ efforts to provide reception and hosting to disproportionate number of refugees are also acknowledged.

We underline the importance of Euro-Mediterranean cooperation and highly value the role of the Union for the Mediterranean. Under joint EU-Jordan chairmanship, the UfM has gained traction in promoting the common interests of the countries of the region.

We express our support to the new Government of Iraq and its endeavours to uphold the unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country. We recognise in that respect, the great sacrifices borne by the Iraqi people which culminated in the commendable territorial defeat of Daesh in Iraq. In this regard, we also express our support to the laudable efforts of the Iraqi government to be able to meet the needs of its people, through immediate stabilisation ventures, which seek to prevent any political or security vacuum from emerging in the liberated areas — where reconstruction must commence and IDP’s return. In that respect, we welcome the participation of the foreign minister of Iraq in the meeting of our foreign ministers today preceding this summit, and we positively note the decision of our foreign ministers to meet with the foreign minister of Iraq in Baghdad in the near future.

We positively note the recent trilateral meeting of our foreign ministers which was held in Nicosia on December 19, 2018, and we agree that the foreign ministers forum serves as a trilateral consultation mechanism on foreign policy issues, to achieve our common goal of peace, security and stability in the eastern Mediterranean and wider region.

We reviewed the progress achieved in the sectors endorsed at the first trilateral summit namely: renewable energy resources and energy efficiency, agriculture management of water resources, aquaculture, tourism, merchant shipping, health and the protection of antiquities. We express our commitment to intensify cooperation in such sectors, while exploring opportunities for cooperation in other fields of mutual interest.

We welcome the signing of the trilateral ‘Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in the field of Education for 2019-2022’ which will lead to the exchange of experts between our three states, and enhance our trilateral cooperation in the areas of environmental education, sustainable development and information communication technology, as well as to establish direct links and cooperation between our higher education institutions.

We also welcome the signing of the trilateral ‘Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation between Jordan Investment Commission, Enterprise Greece S.A. and ‘Invest Cyprus’’ aiming at strengthening investment relations and improving the business and trade environment.

We believe that the large gas discoveries in the offshore fields of the eastern Mediterranean will have a major impact on the energy sector and economic development in the region and can serve as a catalyst for regional stability and prosperity. Based on such discoveries, we welcome the holding of the first meeting of ministers of energy which took place in Cairo on January 14, 2019, where the ministers established the “East Mediterranean Gas Forum”, as a forum for all states in the region, to support the efforts of its members — both producers and consumers — to benefit from gas reserves and infrastructure in order to secure their energy needs.

We reiterate the significance of the ‘Council of Europe Convention on Offences relating to Cultural Property’, the ‘Nicosia Convention’, which focuses on the criminalisation of the illicit trafficking of cultural property, and we underline the importance of protecting the cultural heritage of the eastern Mediterranean, and emphasise our resolve to counter looting and illicit trafficking in cultural property especially in armed conflict areas. Furthermore, the trilateral agreement on the prevention of theft, clandestine excavation and illicit import, export or transfer of ownership of cultural property and the promotion of its restitution, which was signed on January 16, 2018, bears testimony to the importance our countries attach to these issues.

We reaffirm our willingness to continue our solid cooperation in the context of international organisations; especially within the UN system and we also reaffirm the importance of closer cooperation and policy coordination on various international issues.

We acknowledge the high importance of collaboration between our parliaments in the framework of our trilateral cooperation. In this regard, we welcome the first trilateral meeting of the speakers of the Cypriot, Greek and Jordanian parliaments, scheduled to take place at the Dead Sea, Jordan on April 15, 2019 as an additional important step towards enhancing relations and cooperation between our states.

We welcome the holding of the joint business forum in Jordan on the sidelines of this trilateral summit which will enable us to witness significant development and progress in various business sectors [tourism, energy, ICT], and provide a chance to discuss further means of expanding the existing economic and commercial relations between the three countries, and introduce Jordan as a hub for the private sector to access the Iraqi market.

We shall encourage and develop the existing positive environment of economic cooperation between our countries with the aim of promoting trade exchanges and attract investment in various sectors.

We shall facilitate the organisation of trade missions, conferences, forums and exhibitions; as a platform of interaction among the representatives of the private sector in our countries, to support the establishment of joint ventures capitalising on the indispensable business opportunities provided by our economies, as well as foster the transfer of knowledge and exchange of expertise to enhance the competitiveness of our economies and ensure a better global integration.

We agree to explore the possibility of our cooperation to include our diaspora and expatriate communities, through the implementation of specific initiatives involving them, with particular emphasis on youth.

We emphasise the importance of our trilateral cooperation and we agree to establish a permanent secretariat in Nicosia, which will anchor and facilitate this cooperation in order to realise its full potential, to the benefit of our countries and peoples, and of our region. In that respect, we agree to appoint a national coordinator in each country for our trilateral cooperation. Furthermore, we agree to institutionalise high-level interagency discussions on foreign, defence and security policy in addition to launching a ministerial trilateral cooperation forum involving the ministers of finance and trade.

We agree that the next trilateral summit will be held in Greece in 2020.”