The fifth Jordan-Cyprus-Greece trilateral summit was held in Amman, Jordan's Capital, on Wednesday, focusing on areas of cooperation and regional developments, according to a statement released by Jordan's Royal Hashemite Court.
During the summit, Jordan's King Abdullah II, Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides, and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis pledged to expand trilateral ties in trade, investment, water, energy, and tourism, read the statement.
King Abdullah II called the summit a vital coordination platform, urging the three nations to leverage their strategic locations as bridges between their respective regions.
On regional situation, the King expressed Jordan's firm rejection of Israeli measures aimed at changing the status quo in Jerusalem, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, calling for the immediate and unobstructed delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza.
"It is imperative for any agreement on the current conflict with Iran to address all causes of tensions and guarantee an end to hostilities and the security of the region," said the King.
Christodoulides, whose country currently holds the presidency of the Council of the EU, expressed solidarity with Jordan, and highlighted the trilateral mechanism's role in tackling shared challenges
"It is imperative that we reaffirm our shared commitment to fostering dialogue, mitigation of tensions and building a framework for regional peace," the Cypriot president said.
For his part, Mitsotakis praised Jordan's role in regional stability, noting that the partnership sends a clear message of commitment to international law.
"When it comes to the Strait of Hormuz, we want to be very clear. We need to return to the previous status. We have been strong advocates of defending the concept of the freedom of navigation," he said.
Prior to the summit, King Abdullah II held separate bilateral meetings with the Cypriot and Greek leaders.
Jordan, Cyprus, Greece hold trilateral summit on cooperation, regional stability
The global energy crunch and its impacts on Southeast Asia are driving efforts to link the power grids of ASEAN member states, with officials and analysts saying the push could strengthen energy security and accelerate the shift to renewables.
For decades, the idea of an interconnected ASEAN power grid has been on the regional agenda. The current crisis in the wake of wars in Iran and other Gulf states has added urgency, highlighting both the region's diverse energy resources and its vulnerabilities.
Some countries in the region have abundant natural gas or hydropower, others hold vast solar potential, while countries like Singapore rely almost entirely on imports. Even power-producing nations at times face shortages, making cross-border supply an attractive solution.
"It will help us to strengthen our energy security. And of course, a diversified and cheaper supply of energy will boost our regional economic integration and economy. So I think everyone benefits from this," said Chheang Vannarith, chairman of the Cambodian National Assembly Advisory Council.
Malaysia, as ASEAN chair last year, pressed for stronger commitments. Analysts say the current crisis is sharpening focus on the issue.
"It is definitely a wake-up call. It acts as a catalyst. It is also our hope that the Philippines, as the chair of ASEAN this year, and given the circumstances that we are in today with the global energy crisis and the global supply crisis, that this agenda is put at the forefront of the ASEAN discussion," said Amir Fareed Raheem, geo-economist at KRA Group, an ASEAN-focused public affairs and political risk consultancy.
Even as the idea gains momentum, major challenges remain ahead in terms of agreeing on regulations, technical standards and pricing. Further out still are the more ambitious proposals, such as undersea cables to transmit hydropower from northern Malaysia to Singapore and beyond.
Despite the lingering questions, tangible progress is being made. Since 2022, a flagship pilot project has enabled hydropower from Laos to flow through Thailand and Malaysia to Singapore. An agreement signed earlier this year will double its maximum capacity.
"Eleven countries, [with] different systems, different pricing mechanisms. It has to be tested in smaller groupings first before it is scaled up to the whole ASEAN operating system," said Raheem.
With countries striving to expand renewable energy and the crisis straining supplies, consensus is building to move the ASEAN power grid from long-standing aspiration to practical reality.
ASEAN power grid integration gathers pace amid energy crisis
