Cyprus-Greece-Israel trilateral alliance
An alliance between Cyprus, Greece and Israel started in the early 2010s, focusing on a partnership in areas such as energy cooperation, security, military collaboration, and economic relations. It has grown in importance due to shared regional interests, mainly in the Eastern Mediterranean.
Background
The first signs of the alliance appeared in the 2011 Cyprus-Israel gas deal. This deal led to the trilateral alliance, which formed due to growing instability in the Eastern Mediterranean and the improving relations between the three countries after the discovery of new natural gas reserves in the region. The first formal summit took place in 2016 gaining momentum as Greece and Cyprus had common interests in the region and shared democratic values, while Israel was searching for alternatives as its relations with Turkey were deuterating. The alliance is regarded as a "quasi-alliance" with no formal treaty but regular annual meetings.
Key areas of cooperation
Security and Defense
The Cyprus-Greece-Israel trilateral alliance has focused mainly on creating a strong security and defense partnership, as a way to counter the growing instability in the Middle East and Eastern Mediterranean. Their cooperation includes joint military training, sharing intelligence, and working together on counterterrorism efforts.
One important aspect of the military partnership is the joint naval and air force exercises. Some well known exercises are "Noble Dina" and "Phoenix Express," which help improve how their military forces work together. These exercises have helped the countries coordinate on things like protecting the seas, responding to disasters, and fighting terrorism.
Energy projects
One of the main features in the Cyprus-Greece-Israel is the energy projects, as large natural gas fields have been found in the Eastern Mediterranean, especially in Israel's Leviathan and Tamar gas fields, and Cyprus's Aphrodite gas field. One of the projects was the building of the EastMed Pipeline, which would be an underwater pipeline carrying natural gas from Israel and Cyprus to Greece, and then on to Europe. Besides the pipeline, Israel, Cyprus, and Greece have worked together on other energy projects. One of these is the East Mediterranean Gas Forum, which is a group that brings together countries in the region to work together on energy-related issues.
Economic and diplomatic ties
The Trilateral alliance helped the three nations cooperate successfully while facing regional issues, like energy security and maritime borders. This growing cooperation also helps Israel's relationship with the European Union, since Cyprus and Greece are EU members. Economically, the alliance has boosted trade and investment between the countries, especially in areas like technology, defense, tourism, and farming. Israel has been an important partner for Greece and Cyprus, helping them improve sectors like cybersecurity and defense technology.
Counterterrorism has been another critical aspect of the trilateral alliance, particularly in combating regional threats like ISIS and Hezbollah. Israel, with its advanced intelligence capabilities, has shared critical information with both Cyprus and Greece to help protect against terrorism. The alliance also facilitates joint security drills and maritime patrols to safeguard the region from militant groups and other security threats.
3+1 framework
3+1 Is the given name to the framework that involves the United States' connection to the alliance. This framework includes Washington in summits and working groups to strengthen security, defense, energy projects, and regional stability in the Eastern Mediterranean. At the December 2025 summit in Jerusalem, Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides emphasized that this mechanism aligns the partnership with broader U.S. backed initiatives like the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor and promotes connectivity against geopolitical challenges. U.S. involvement supports joint exercises, intelligence sharing, and countering influences such as Turkey, positioning the alliance as a key pillar for Western interests.
2025 summit
In December 2025, the annual meeting of the trilateral alliance was held in Jerusalem. It was the first joint meeting since the October 7 attacks on Israel. The meeting reaffirmed deepened military, energy, and economic ties amid regional tensions, with pledges for joint drills, intelligence sharing, the Great Sea Interconnector, and IMEC integration.
The trilateral alliance has agreed on extending its partnership and conducting a joint air and naval military exercises, during 2026. The exercise will take place in the Eastern Mediterranean, deepening their trilateral defense cooperation. The expanded drills reflect the three countries’ shared concerns over regional security dynamics and are being closely watched by other regional players.
Challenges
Turkish Opposition
One of the major challenges the trilateral alliance is facing comes from Turkey, that opposes the energy exploration activities of Cyprus and Israel in the Eastern Mediterranean. Turkey that has its own offshore drilling, does not recognize Cyprus nor its maritime boundaries and maritime agreement with Lebanon. This causes high tensions with Greece and Cyprus. Turkey's strong influence in the region, its close ties with Northern Cyprus, and its relationship with Russia are seen as major obstacles to the alliance's goals. In response, the partnership between Israel, Cyprus, and Greece is viewed as a way to balance power and increase stability in the region. Following the trilateral agreement, Turkey has announced that Israel is its number one threat.
Environmental concerns
Although energy cooperation is a key part of the alliance, environmental groups have raised concerns about possible damage to the environment. They worry about offshore drilling and large energy projects like the EastMed pipeline. Because of this, there have been calls for cleaner and more sustainable energy development in the region.
Geopolitical Significance
The trilateral alliance helps balance Turkey's influence in the region, while supporting stability with Western countries and giving each country more influence in the EU and NATO. The three nations face challenges within each country and neighboring countries like Egypt.