Israel, Greece, and Cyprus reaffirmed their commitment to mutual support and shared strategic interests at a trilateral summit between the three countries’ leaders in Jerusalem on Monday.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke alongside Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides for what Netanyahu described as “our tenth meeting,” adding that “I think it’s the most consequential.”
Netanyahu had earlier met with both leaders individually before they were joined by diplomatic teams, including energy ministry representatives, and held a three-way meeting. He said the leaders were “cooperating and discussing in detail cooperation in many fields: energy, technology, connectivity, and also security.”
Christodoulides also met separately with President Isaac Herzog.
Israel-Cyprus-Greece relations
The triumvirate have a close relationship which took form about 15 years ago as energy cooperation became a central pillar in relations between the three nations. That cooperation was again at the center of Monday’s summit, with Netanyahu announcing that the three countries would move forward with the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC).
“We will advance IMEC,” Netanyahu said. “This is an idea that has been brought forward before, but we think we have to put it into reality.” He described the project as a combination of maritime routes, energy pipelines, and cable connectivity linking Asia and Europe via Israel, Cyprus, and Greece.
As part of that effort, Netanyahu said the leaders were also advancing the Great Sea Connector, which would enable electric energy cooperation between the three countries, Europe, and the Arabian Peninsula, and ultimately connect to Asia. “We discussed practically how to move this forward, and we intend to advance it,” he said.
Mitsotakis said Greece’s role as an energy hub was becoming increasingly central, noting that the country is “emerging as a key energy hub in the south of Eastern Europe” and stressing that “we are a gateway for liquified natural gas, which is something that will be very relevant to both Cyprus and Israel.”
“This is a very important visit, a very strategic visit, a visit that comes at a time when there are countries working to undermine regional stability,” Energy Minister Eli Cohen told The Jerusalem Post.
“In practice, we are also talking here about a bloc whose goal is precisely to ensure stability and to create a joint force and to create security, economic, and energy cooperation,” he said.
“This visit also took place a few days before Netanyahu’s meeting with [US President Donald] Trump, and I also have a very important message for that alliance that cannot be ignored. Among other things, this includes advancing that vision of Trump’s, promoting the IMEC project, and in practice creating another infrastructure corridor that is so important to the world.”
The three countries have also had to contend with the rise of Turkey under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Israel is worried about the Turkish presence on its borders with both Syria and Gaza, Greece is concerned about Turkish ambitions in the Mediterranean, and Cyprus has spent 50 years with Turkey as a direct neighbor after the 1974 Turkish invasion split the island in two. Athens has repeatedly accused Ankara of violating its airspace in recent weeks.
Against this backdrop, Netanyahu warned that “the Middle East and the Eastern Mediterranean are being tested by aggression, terrorism, and instability,” adding that the trilateral partnership “provides strength, clarity, and cooperation that will prevail over chaos.
“To those who fantasize they can re-establish their empires and their dominion over our lands, I say, forget it. It’s not going to happen – don’t even think about it,” Netanyahu warned in a thinly-veiled threat to Turkey.
Reports first emerged last week of discussions surrounding the possible establishment of a joint rapid-response force composed of units from the armies of the three countries. Addressing the security dimension, Netanyahu said the leaders had agreed “to deepen our security and defense cooperation,” stressing that “the threats we face are real.”
“Together, we’re defending not only our own nations, but vital sea lanes and critical infrastructure that the global economy depends on,” he said.
Military cooperation is not new – Greece and Israel have long-standing defense ties, and Defense Minister Israel Katz met last week with his Cypriot counterparts. Mitsotakis said that since the last trilateral summit in 2023, “we’ve now entered a new geopolitical phase,” one that “creates some serious risks, but also a profound window of opportunity to shape a regional security architecture that can deliver peace and prosperity.”
Christodoulides, speaking just days before Cyprus assumes the presidency of the Council of the European Union, said the summit carried significance beyond symbolism. “Our presence here today is not symbolic; it is substantive,” he said, describing the partnership between Cyprus, Greece, and Israel as “of strategic importance, not only for our three countries, but also for our region and beyond.”