US, Cyprus, Greece, 'Israel' agree to boost energy cooperation

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Cyprus, Greece, the Israeli occupation, and the United States have agreed to boost cooperation in various areas, such as energy, the four ministries of foreign affairs announced on Monday.

Earlier in the day, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Cypriot Foreign Minister Ioannis Kasoulides, Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid, and Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias talked via videoconference in the 3+1 format. 

"In a critical period for Europe, the United States, and the world, the Ministers reaffirmed their commitment to the 3+1 format and decided to intensify their cooperation in the areas of energy, economy, climate action, emergency preparedness, and counter-terrorism, contributing to resilience, energy security, and interconnectivity in the region," the ministers said in a joint statement following the conclusion of the virtual meeting.

Nicosia, Athens, and Washington have all voiced their support for the Al-Naqab summit and other initiatives they claimed "promoted peace" in the region.

"The Ministers decided to develop a roadmap with tangible deliverables for the coming year and to set the stage for a follow-on meeting before the end of 2022," the statement read. 

The 3+1 cooperation format was created in 2019 to promote "peace and stability" in the Eastern Mediterranean, as well as to secure the energy of the parties.

Iran had denounced the Al-Naqab Summit, which has been attended by the foreign ministers of the US, the Israeli occupation, Bahrain, Morocco, and Egypt.

The meeting, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Saeed Khatibzadeh said, was that of "the traitors of the Palestinian cause with the oppressors of occupied Al-Quds."

Palestinian factions underscored that the Palestinian people will not serve as a bridge for the normalization of ties with "Tel Aviv", denouncing the summit altogether.