ATHENS – Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias had a meeting with his Cypriot counterpart Ioannis Kasoulides on Tuesday in Athens, which focused on the situation in Ukraine and developments in the Eastern Mediterranean.

A meeting with his Israeli counterpart Yair Lapid, with whom he is to have both a private meeting and broader talks involving the delegations of the two sides, is to follow at 12:55.

The focus will be on the situation in Ukraine, developments in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East, as well as the close Greek-Israeli cooperation in all sectors.

At 15:10, delegations of all three sides are to meet in the context of a trilateral meeting of the Foreign Ministers of Greece, Israel and Cyprus. The talks between the three countries’ ministers are expected to focus on further strengthening their close cooperation in several sectors, including energy, civil protection, the economy and tackling terrorism, with the ultimate goal of promoting peace, security, stability and prosperity in the Eastern Mediterranean.

The three ministers will also examine the security challenges in the wider region, as well as the margins for broadening their cooperation with the participation of additional countries.

There will be joint statements to the press at about 16:15.

The trilateral ministerial meeting follows another foreign ministers’ meeting held in Jerusalem in August 2021, as well as the trilateral summit, also in Jerusalem, in December 2021.