Egypt parliament speaker Ali Abdel-Aal met Sunday with his Cypriot counterpart Demetris Syllouris, president of the Cypriot parliament (the House of Representatives). A statement released by the press office said the meeting reflected the growing relations between Egypt and Cyprus. "Parliament speaker Abdel-Aal  visited Cyprus twice, one within the context of bilateral relations between the two countries, and one  as part of the ongoing cooperation between Egypt, Cyprus and Greece at all levels," the statement said.

The statement said the meeting covered important issues such as the coordination between the two countries in the fight against terrorism, the cooperation with Greece in the area of energy and the agreement on turning Egypt into a regional centre for gas markets. "We agreed that the three countries will form the nucleus of this regional centre, and that it will gain momentum in the coming stage," said the statement.

The meeting also discussed economic cooperation between Egypt and Cyprus. "The two parties agreed that mutual investments should be promoted in the coming stage, particularly as the two countries have now favourable investment legislations and climate," said the statement.

For his part, speaker of the Cypriot parliament said "cooperation between Egypt, Cyprus and Greece in the area of tourism has moved forward in recent years and that greater investments in this respect are badly needed." He also thanked Abdel-Aal for Egypt's positions which are in support of Cyprus in international circles.