Lebanon and Cyprus have taken a significant step in their bilateral relations by signing an agreement on the delimitation of their exclusive economic zone on Wednesday. Lebanese President Michel Aoun and his Cypriot counterpart Nikos Christodoulides witnessed the signing of the agreement in Beirut, which paves the way for the exploration of marine resources between the two countries. Aoun stated in a speech after the signing ceremony: "We are here to celebrate the achievement of delimiting the exclusive economic zone between our two countries, which will allow Lebanon and Cyprus to begin exploring their marine wealth and enhancing our joint cooperation in this field." He added, "After the delimitation of the sea, we can seriously work on bilateral agreements with exploration companies, as well as on joint projects in several areas, including energy, tourism, and communications." Aoun emphasized that "this cooperation does not target anyone and excludes no one; on the contrary, we want it to be the first building block in constructing a bridge of international cooperation across our region, ensuring stability and prosperity for all its countries and peoples." The Lebanese president also issued "a clear invitation to complete this maritime understanding with all who wish to cooperate with us," considering it "the only way to move away from the language of violence, war, and destruction and the policies of dominance and ambitions that have cost our region and its peoples dearly." The Lebanese Council of Ministers approved the delimitation agreement with Cyprus last month.
