Promotion of Parliamentary diplomacy through the newly established trilateral schemes in the Eastern Mediterranean

Abstract

Cooperation between parliaments enhances parliamentary diplomacy, which has become an invaluable tool in international politics. Regional cooperation in the Mediterranean is achieved through a network of international and regional parliamentary institutions and various multilateral, bilateral, and trilateral schemes, which have increased during the last decade. Two major events appear to be the main cause of this increase: the Arab Spring uprisings, which threatened stability and security in the region and the discovery of hydrocarbons in the Levantine Basin. The initiation of trilateral parliamentary schemes, namely Cyprus-Greece-Israel, Cyprus-Egypt-Greece and Cyprus-Greece-Jordan illustrates this increase. This thesis aims to assess the contribution of these newly established schemes in the promotion of parliamentary diplomacy and cooperation. The issue is approached gradually. First, we try to define the term parliamentary diplomacy by reviewing existing literature. Then, we briefly describe the IPIs based in the Mediterranean or focus on the area, and we also present the existing trilateral parliamentary schemes. We use the Cyprus-Greece-Israel scheme as a case study since it is the most advanced scheme, being established first and having evolved through regular meetings. Finally, the thesis presents some general conclusions on the contribution of the aforementioned schemes in the promotion of parliamentary diplomacy and regional cooperation, mainly based on the opinion of Greek MPs.