ATHENS – Israel’s Ambassador to Greece Yossi Amrani expressed his confidence and vision on Greek-Israeli relations, speaking to Parapolitika newspaper on Saturday.

“For Israel, the relationship with Greece is of long-term strategic importance,” he said and “we have to make sure it goes forward. I also represent a very sincere position on the strategic vision of relations with Greece, in the economic, strategic and defense sectors.”

Responding to how he views the possibility of the cooperation among Greece-Cyprus-Israel developing to a deeper military cooperation or even a defense alliance, he said how “we are ready to strengthen cooperation between the three countries. We have done a lot in recent years. We need to consult on both a bilateral and trilateral basis, see where our cooperation is headed and in what ways our national interests are best served.”

In conclusion, Yossi Amrani commented on the possibility of armed conflict in the Mediterranean Sea due to Turkish foreign policy and stated that “the tension is indeed increasing and becoming more frequent, yet politics is always about finding balance and moderation,” and he emphasized how “we are fully aware of the implications of specific policies on national sovereignty and security, but we are also aware of our ability to exploit natural resources. Our message is clear.”