Israeli President Isaac Herzog and Greek Cypriot administration leader Nikos Christodoulidis met at the presidential palace in Nicosia. The talks addressed regional developments and areas of cooperation, as well as efforts to improve relations between the two sides.
Herzog calls for three-way meeting
Expressing his wish for a meeting also attended by the Lebanese president, Herzog said: "My dream is for the president of Israel and the leader of the Greek Cypriot administration to meet here in the presence of the Lebanese president."
Sending a message of friendship to Christodoulidis, Herzog said he hoped to strengthen the partnership between the two peoples and states.
Herzog and Christodoulidis first held a bilateral meeting, followed by an expanded meeting. Christodoulidis announced that they would hold talks on developing the strategic partnership in tourism, trade, security, energy and defense.
The leader of the Greek Cypriot administration said they would also exchange views on regional developments. Christodoulidis said they could work with other countries that shared a similar approach to create suitable conditions for stability, security and cooperation.
Figures on Lebanon and Gaza
According to Lebanese authorities, 4,381 people have been killed, 12,402 wounded and more than 1 million displaced in Israel's attacks on Lebanon since March 2.
Israel has maintained control over some areas in southern Lebanon for decades, advanced again in some areas after the 2023-2024 war and reached more than 10 kilometers in depth during the latest attacks.
While Israel's attacks on Gaza have triggered political and social reactions around the world, more than 73,000 Palestinians have reportedly been killed, more than 174,000 wounded and 90 percent of the infrastructure damaged in the attacks.
It was also alleged that, during the same period, Israel waged two wars against Lebanon and Iran, carried out attacks on Yemen and Qatar, and conducted ground operations and artillery fire almost daily in Syria.
