Cyprus, Greece, France and Italy agreed to have common presence in the eastern Mediterranean in the context of the QUAD.
Defence Minister Nikos Panagiotopoulos on Wednesday welcomed the start of the operation (the underway aerial exercise EUNOMIA in Cyprus).
The Defence Ministry in an announcement said that the quadrilateral cooperation indicates the collective and total commitment  of the four countries to the implementation of the Law of Sea (UNCLOS) and the international law for the preservation of the regional stability, the respect to the law and navigation freedom in the eastern Mediterranean.
The tension  and instability in the eastern Mediterranean have increased due the long conflicts in the region as well as the increased arguments on several issues related to the sea (maritime zones, migration flows and others) and this tension intensify with the discovery of natural resources in the area. This condition has led to constant violations of the UN Treaties on the Law of the Sea as well as of the international law.
The specific initiative aims at the common perception of the situation and indicates the four European countries committment to the international law as part of the political de-escalation fo the tension.