Nicosia, January 22, 2020

Meeting of Delegations of Defense and Foreign Affairs Committees of Southern European Union Parliaments

The 3rd meeting of the Group Med, Foreign and Defense Committee Delegations of  Southern European countries’ Parliaments took place In Nicosia. The Hellenic Parliament was represented by MPs Angelos Syrigos and Yiannis Amanatidis. The main issues discussed were the assessment of the situation in the Eastern Mediterranean and the formulation of a common agenda to promote issues related to the European South in the area of ​​the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) and the Common Security and Defense Policy (CFSP).

Mr Syrigos referred to the volatile situation in the Mediterranean, raising serious concerns as part of the region has crossed into the war zone, and commented that Russia and Turkey, seeking to expand their influence in the region, cause further disruptions and destabilization. He specifically referred to Turkey's provocative behavior in the Eastern Mediterranean and emphasized that the Memorandum of Understanding between the Governments of Libya and Turkey on the delimitation of the Exclusive Economic Zones in the Mediterranean Sea violates sovereign rights of third countries, and is inconsistent with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, therefore having no legal implications for third parties, a statement also recorded the Joint Declaration of the meeting.

Mr. Amanatidis emphasized the importance of strengthening Group Med, which can have significant contribution and effect towards growth and prosperity of the Mediterranean peoples. He then focused on Turkey's unlawful conduct, stressing the need for such behaviors to be denounced and condemned by the EU, also noting that the EU must put forward a positive agenda based on shared values.

The Greek MPs, via their interventions, advanced the argument that armed conflicts in the Mediterranean region together with Turkey's stance have resulted in a significant increase in migratory flows, which threatens to destabilize many EU states. At the end of the meeting, a Joint Declaration was adopted, to be communicated at the forthcoming Interparliamentary Conference on CFSP and CSDP in Zagreb.

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