agreement between him Lebanon With Israel creates a model, it shows that the delimitation of maritime zones is possible in any case, subject to the basic condition, respecting international law and the rules of dialogue, Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias explained in joint statements with his Lebanese counterpart Abdullah Bou Habib, after their meeting ended .

“This event paves the way for negotiating an appropriate agreement between Lebanon and Cyprus, discussions have already begun for this,” Nikos Dendias emphasized, reiterating that the Lebanese-Israeli agreement is an example of the peaceful settlement of disputes in this area, and called on them to follow the example of all countries.

Addressing his Lebanese counterpart, Nikos Dendias congratulated him on the “historic agreement” on the delimitation of maritime zones between Lebanon and Israel, which was reached through the mediation of the United States, in particular, special envoy for international energy issues Amos Hockstein, as he noted. He also recalled that Greece was one of the first countries to welcome this agreement as a key factor in stabilizing the situation in the Middle East.

As for Greece, he recalled that it recently concluded two agreements, with Egypt and Italy, and also reached an agreement with Albania on appeal in The Hague, with which it discusses the terms of the appeal agreement, he added.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs also said that Greece is looking forward to the delimitation of exclusive economic zones with Libya, as soon as an elected government is formed in this North African country. “Thus, another triangle of stability will be created: Greece, Egypt, Libya, in the Eastern Mediterranean. And then we would like this example to be extended to neighboring Turkey,” said Nikos Dendias. “We hope that after the elections in Turkey, we will be able to resolve with Turkey our only bilateral dispute, always based on international maritime law,” he stressed.

However, he lamented that Turkey is moving in the opposite direction, “seeking provocations, seeking to impose positions that have nothing to do with international law, seeking solutions that defy geography and simple common sense, such as the recently invalid, illegal, existing memorandum on the exploitation of hydrocarbons between the Government of Turkey and the Government of Tripoli”.

Focusing on bilateral relations, Nikos Dendias said that contacts with Lebanon are of great importance for Greece and expressed a desire to deepen cooperation. Picking up a thread of relationship from antiquity, he said that the two peoples met across the wider Mediterranean, created important cultures, and their relationship was forged over the centuries, as evidenced by the long presence of Greek Orthodoxy. community in Lebanon. He also mentioned the “significant presence” of the Lebanese community in Athens.

He highlighted the memorandums he signed with his Lebanese counterpart on the abolition of entry visas for holders of diplomatic and service passports, as well as in the field of diplomatic education. “The memorandums we signed are a harbinger of deepening our cooperation,” he said and explained that Greece will always support Lebanon, recalling that it was the first country to respond to the recent explosion in the port of Beirut, and assured that it would continue to show solidarity with the people of Lebanon .

At the same time, Nikos Dendias stressed that Greece is also looking forward to the trilateral meeting of the Foreign Ministers of Greece, Cyprus and Lebanon.

In addition, he expressed satisfaction with the program for strengthening the Greek language and supporting theological research at Balamad University. It also represents a revival of Greek language teaching and is practical proof of Greece’s support for the Greek Orthodox part of the Lebanese population, he said.

During the meeting, the foreign ministers of the two countries also discussed the challenges facing the international community in Europe, the Middle East, and the Russian invasion of Ukraine. In this context, the Foreign Minister reiterated that respect for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of all countries is the “holy gospel” of Greece’s foreign policy and stated that he was confident that Lebanon shared this position.

In addition, they discussed the issue of refugee immigration, while the Lebanese Foreign Minister briefed Nikos Dendias on the enormous difficulties Lebanon faces in accommodating the millions of displaced Syrians. In particular, the need to combat this phenomenon with the help of the EU was discussed, with Nikos Dendias promising to do everything possible to invite the Lebanese Foreign Minister to a breakfast with EU foreign ministers, during which he will clearly and clearly explain not only the challenges facing Lebanon, but also the solutions it offers.

Regarding the EU’s relations with Lebanon, Nikos Dendias advocated strengthening them, expressing his confidence that Lebanon has all the elements that would allow closer cooperation with the European Union and other international organizations such as the UN.

At the end of his speech, Nikos Dendias noted that the visit of the Lebanese Foreign Minister completes the circle of ten bilateral contacts over the past six days.

Lebanese Foreign Ministry: We are committed to further improving relations with Greece

Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdullah Bou Habib expressed Lebanon’s desire to continue its historical ties with Greece and further improve bilateral relations.

Abdullah Bou Habib, who served as Lebanese foreign minister for 14 months, expressed particular joy at the visit to Athens, as well as optimism that there will be more meetings with the Greek foreign minister in the future, but also with Cyprus. “We have a trilateral meeting, I look forward to further meetings,” he said.

In fact, he emphasized the geographical proximity between Lebanon and Greece and referred to the “considerable help and materials” provided by Greece after the explosion in the port of Beirut, expressing his gratitude.

With regard to Cyprus specifically, the Lebanese Foreign Minister said that negotiations have begun, discussions of maritime boundaries, some amendments, very few, will be made to the agreement signed in 2007. “In principle, we agreed, and now we will have to create a text, to legitimize a new agreement, and we also have the issue of Syria on the borders, and maybe Cyprus and Greece will also participate here,” he said.

Speaking about the Lebanese-Israel agreement on the delimitation of maritime zones, he said that it was concluded despite the fact that there are no official relations between the two countries. “Our relationship is moving forward through the UN system,” he said, stressing that US mediation efforts have been successful. In this context, he expressed his hope that once a new prime minister and a new government come to power in Israel, efforts will begin to resolve the land border dispute with Israel.

Regarding the Russian invasion of Ukraine, he said that Lebanon condemned it despite being friends with Russia. “We are a small country and we stand for international law, and we affirm that international law is the fundamental principle of relations between countries. And dialogue should be the main principle that governs the relations of countries,” the Lebanese foreign minister said. Continuing the same wave, he expressed regret “about what Russia did in Ukraine,” and added that Moscow should have tried to resolve the dispute However, he added, Lebanon is not in favor of isolating Russia within the framework of its stay in the UN system.

After that, Abdullah Bou Habib elaborated on the refugee problem facing Lebanon. “Today we have 2 million Syrian refugees in Lebanon, and this is an excessive number for such a small country with a population of 4 million and about 1 million (Lebanese) in the diaspora. Meanwhile, we subsidize basic goods such as bread. For example, the Syrians consume more bread than the Lebanese. 2 million Syrians consume 40% of subsidized bread. These people have been in Lebanon for 11 years since the war in Syria began,” he said. He added that refugees now rely more on the money they receive from UNHCR, as well as money EU to stay where they are.

^{With information from APE-MPE}