Egypt wants to work more closely with Greece and Cyprus to increase ties between the countries, especially in the growing energy sector, with offshore exploration off Cyprus showing great potential for reserves.

The three countries Foreign Ministers,Ioannis Kasoulides of Cyprus, Evangelos Venizelos of Greece and Sameh Shoukry of Egypt – met at the sidelines of the UN general assembly in New York on Sept. 26th but a joint statement setting out their plans was not released until Sept. 28th.

“They had the opportunity to review developments in the region and to underline the importance of the eastern Mediterranean becoming a pillar of stability in the wider area, by promoting cooperation among neighboring countries, including in the energy field,” the document said.

The three ministers set out common views on the Cyprus issue, Syria and Iraq.

This was the second such trilateral meeting between the foreign ministers of the three countries and, according to reports, a third round of talks is due to take place in Cyprus.