Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi received Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis at the Federal Palace in Cairo on Tuesday, on the sidelines of the seventh trilateral summit between Egypt, Cyprus and Greece.
Egypt’s Presidency Spokesperson Bassam Rady added that Sisi congratulated Mitsotakis on the assumption of his new position as prime minister of Greece, and praised the growth of bilateral relations between the two countries in various fields, expressing hope that this cooperation will continue especially in regards to counter-terrorism and illegal immigration.
Sisi also expressed his appreciation towards Greece’s continued support for Egypt in the European and international forums, stressing the importance of continued consultation on issues of common interest.
On his end, Mitsotakis expressed his happiness at visiting Egypt and meeting with Sisi, and stressed his pride at the historical ties between Egypt and Greece.
He also praised the remarkable progress in bilateral cooperation over the past years, and that his country was keen to continue deepening relations between both countries, pushing them to broader horizons.
Mitsotakis also praised the tripartite cooperation and stressed his keenness to further develop the tripartite’s distinguished relations and political consultations to face common challenges in the Mediterranean and Middle East regions.
Rady added that the meeting touched on ways of boosting bilateral relations at all levels, especially economic and trade ties, through the Joint Business Council, and increasing the value of the trade exchange, which amounted to about 1.8 billion euros in 2018 between Egypt and Greece.
They discussed increasing Greek investments in Egypt to take advantage of promising opportunities following the implementation of the economic reform program, and facilitating the business climate.
The meeting also dealt with a number of regional and international issues of common concern, particularly efforts to combat terrorism and illegal immigration, and the developments of political conflicts in the region, including the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Egyptian-Cypriot-Greek trilateral relations have strengthened following the 2013 revolution in Egypt. Cyprus and Egypt agreed in 2018 to build a 1,707-kilometre sub-sea power cable that will link the power grids of the two countries to that of Greece.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
