Athens, 21 April 2023

First online meeting of parliamentary branch of 3+1 cooperation scheme

The first online meeting of the parliamentary branch of the 3+1 cooperation scheme took place yesterday, chaired by US Senator Bob Menendez, US Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman. In the meeting participated delegations of members of the US Senate, the Knesset, the House of Representatives of Cyprus and the Hellenic Parliament.

The Hellenic Parliament was represented by Dora Bakoyannis, Dimitris Kairidis, Theodoros Roussopoulos, Anastasios Chatzivasileiou, Georgios Katrougalos and George Papandreou. 

Mrs Bakoyannis emphasised that the 3+1 cooperation scheme is of primary importance for security, stability, prosperity and peace in the region of the Eastern Mediterranean. This cooperation, as a regional dialogue forum, is a key tool for promoting issues between the four countries in the fields of energy, cyber security, maritime security, citizen protection, counter-terrorism, research and innovation and digital technology. Lastly, she made reference to the developing diplomatic and economic ties of the three regional partners (Greece, Cyprus, Israel) with the Western Balkans, Eastern Europe and the Gulf, as a new architecture in the security of the wider region. Greece, together with Cyprus and Israel, can lead the effort to achieve prosperity and stability in the region of the Mediterranean. 

Mr Katrougalos noted that the idea of joint cooperation for peace and stability in the region is a shared goal that goes beyond any differences that may exist and welcomed the expansion of cooperation at all levels, as well as its extension to the Ministerial level.

Mr Papandreou stressed that prosperity, security and stability in the region of the Eastern Mediterranean are joint priorities and called on the participants to look into ways of strengthening and expanding this cooperation, hoping for better results. 

Finally, in a joint statement, the participants state the following:

"We reaffirmed our shared commitment to promoting security, stability and prosperity in the Eastern Mediterranean. We discussed ways our legislative bodies can promote joint priorities, including energy security, maritime security, economic growth and overall stability. We look forward to continuing efforts in this format". 

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