The three parliamentary leaders, today
The three parliamentary leaders, todayKnesset Spokesperson, Yitzhak Harari

Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein held Thursday a trilateral meeting with the Speaker of the Greek Parliament Nikos Voutsis and the President of the Cypriot House of Representatives, Demetris Syllouris. The meeting was the first of its kind between the parliamentary leaders.

The leaders of the parliaments of the three nations discussed ways to combat anti-Semitism and hate crimes, to aid young entrepreneurs, and to promote regional cooperation on water-related issues, such as accessibility and treatment. At the end of the meeting they signed a memorandum of understanding for cooperation between the three countries on common issues and strengthening bilateral relations.

The meeting was also attended by MK Ayelet Nahmias-Verbin, who heads the Israel-Greece Parliamentary Friendship Group, and by MK Yael Cohen-Paran, who presented her concerns on the effects of climate change in the region.

Speaker Edelstein said: "We have initiated a tradition of cooperation between the three allies in a variety of fields. We will establish joint operations teams between the parliaments to deal with the issues of innovation, water, agriculture, unemployment and tourism, an the collaboration of the Inter-Parliamentary Committees on education and science. The governments will participate as well."

The President of the Cypriot House of Representatives, Demetris Syllouris, announced that they would work to bring other countries from the region to participate in the regional group. He said that other nations would join "if we serve as a bridge, and we will bring practical results on the ground."

The Speaker of the Greek Parliament Nikos Voutsis, spoke of the issues plaguing his country, where 250,000 scientists and holders of masters degrees are unemployed.

Edelstein invited his two guests to send representatives to speak at a conference at the Knesset between March 6-8.