‘Israeli-Greek partnership is not at expense of other ties’

Netanyahu tells reporters in Jerusalem that a newly signed agreement with Greece to dramatically improve bilateral ties is not designed to come at the expense of relations with other countries in the region, notably Turkey.

“Our cooperation with Greece and Cyprus stands on its own; it was long overdue,” Netanyahu says.

On plans to restore ties with Ankara, the PM says: “I don’t know if we’ll succeed, but we’ll keep on trying. Turkey and Israel had a very good relationship in former years. We did not cause this deterioration. If there is a change of policy, we’ll welcome it. ”

Netanyahu and Tsipras are slated to meet tomorrow with the Cypriot president to discuss regional issues, including efforts to boost cooperation in energy, technology, tourism and other fields.

— Raphael Ahren