الرئيس اللبناني: التفاهم البحري السبيل الوحيد للتخلي عن العنف والحرب

The Lebanese President, General Joseph Aoun, signed today (Wednesday) an agreement with his Cypriot counterpart, Nikos Christodoulides, for the demarcation of maritime borders between the two countries.

President Aoun stated in a joint press conference with the Cypriot president at the Baabda Palace: "We can now seriously work on developing bilateral agreements and launching projects in the fields of energy, telecommunications, tourism, security, and defense with the project of 'Search and Rescue Center,' adding: We invite all those who wish to cooperate with us to complete this maritime understanding, and we believe it is the only way to abandon the language of violence, war, destruction, and policies of domination."

President Aoun clarified that the agreement will allow the two countries to begin exploring their maritime resources and cooperating in this area, reaffirming both parties' commitment to international law and strengthening the bonds of friendship between them.

For his part, the Cypriot president expressed his country's anticipation of the opportunities that the maritime border demarcation agreement could provide for both countries, explaining that the agreement has historical significance and sends a strong political message regarding regional cooperation and stability.

He noted that the two countries are seeking advice from the World Bank regarding the feasibility of electrical interconnection, following the signing of the agreement.

Cyprus and Lebanon had reached a preliminary agreement to demarcate their maritime areas in 2007, but there was a delay in ratifying it. However, Lebanese Energy Minister Joseph Sadi visited Cyprus last month to discuss cooperation between the two countries in the energy sector, after the Lebanese Cabinet approved the maritime border demarcation agreement, which expedited the signing of the agreement.