Cyprus pitches regional firefighting hub to Israel, Greece

By MENELAOS HADJICOSTIS
Associated Press

NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — Cyprus’ foreign minister has pitched to his Greek and Israeli counterparts the creation of an east Mediterranean firefighting hub aimed at quickly responding to huge blazes potentially overwhelming any single country. Cypriot Foreign Minister Ioannis Kasoulides made the proposal during a conference Monday between the top diplomats of the three countries, joined by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken. It was aimed at promoting closer cooperation on issues including energy, the economy, climate action, emergency preparedness and counterterrorism. Kasoulides also said the island nation is willing to host a gathering of ministers to discuss ways of protecting the east Mediterranean Sea through the development of environmentally friendly ports and other coastline infrastructure.