Leaders of Cyprus, Egypt, Greece pledge closer cooperation

The leaders of Cyprus, Egypt and Greece say they'll work more closely with the European Union to tackle illegal migration and will take joint action to combat the threat of terrorism.

Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades, Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi and Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras also agreed Tuesday during talks in the Cypriot capital, Nicosia, to broaden "strategic cooperation" on energy.

That includes ways of transporting newly found eastern Mediterranean gas to Europe and linking the electricity grids of Europe and North Africa via an undersea cable.

Anastasiades repeated that Egypt is a strategic partner for the European Union. He said Cyprus and Greece would work to strengthen EU-Egypt relations.

The three leaders also announced joint projects to boost job creation, renewable energy and tourism. [AP]