Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah A-Sisi paid an official visit to Greece last week, strengthening bilateral relations and cooperation. This is the fifth time that the Egyptian leader has visited Greece, a clear manifestation of the excellent diplomatic ties between the two countries, which were upgraded during his visit to a strategic partnership.
Egypt and Greece have thus underlined their position as beacons of stability and responsible statecraft in the Mediterranean.
The visit was held in the context of the inaugural meeting of the First High-Level Cooperation Council between Egypt and Greece chaired by President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. During the meeting, Greece and Egypt signed a Strategic Partnership Agreement intensifying their political and diplomatic coordination amidst an increasingly unstable geopolitical environment in the Eastern Mediterranean where the situation remains fragile in Libya, Syria, and Gaza.
The agreement is a qualitative leap in bilateral relations between the two countries, enhancing their close communication and coordination on issues of common interest. It expands the scope of their cooperation to include the fields of the economy, trade, investment, tourism, technology, and entrepreneurship, as well as energy, security, and migration.
The two sides also agreed to upgrade their close ties during the Cooperation Council meeting by signing three memoranda of cooperation concerning shipping, technology and communications, and cultural cooperation.
“Our bilateral cooperation is based on political, economic, and cultural ties that are deeply rooted in history and defined by our strong commitment to the values of peace and the full respect of international law,” President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi and Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said in a joint statement.
Greek Ambassador to Egypt Νikolaos Papageorgiou, who has worked tirelessly to promote bilateral ties, highlighted the importance of the agreement. “Our two countries are not just the inheritors of ancient civilisations that interacted in the past. They have built a solid relationship in the present based on mutual respect and respect for international law,” he said.
The diplomatic perspectives and national interests of Egypt and Greece coincide in many aspects. Both countries share the same perspective on Gaza, with Greece supporting Egypt’s diplomatic initiatives and its plan for the reconstruction of Gaza once a ceasefire is achieved.
Egypt and Greece share the same interests concerning their respective maritime zones, and they expanded their cooperation after they signed a partial delimitation agreement on them. In an unstable environment of mass migration, Egypt has also constantly proven to be a steadfast and reliable partner of both Greece and the EU.
Joint EU-Egypt efforts in combating irregular migration and terrorism have drawn on Egypt’s successful record of accomplishment in this field. Egypt’s decisive stance on controlling migration flows has been hailed by both the EU and Greece as part of its status as a beacon of stability.
Egypt’s ownership of the Suez Canal linking the Red Sea to the Mediterranean and Europe to Asia is a focal point for world shipping, with 12 per cent of such traffic transiting the canal. Egypt’s ownership of the canal makes it a natural strategic ally of Greece, a maritime nation with a strong footprint in international shipping.
Egypt’s unique natural resources, especially its resources of wind and solar energy, qualify it to become a global leader in producing renewable energy and a regional hub for the energy trade.
Greece is both Egypt’s nearest EU neighbour and a steadfast diplomatic partner. Greece has been essential in promoting the EU-Egypt cooperation framework, and it was the first EU country to sign a bilateral agreement with Egypt back in 2020 concerning the Exclusive Economic Zones of the two countries.
Greece signed a migration and mobility pact with Egypt in 2022, and the two countries have established effective modes of military and intelligence cooperation. Greek-Egyptian cultural ties are also manifested through such venerable institutions as the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria and St Catherine’s Monastery in South Sinai.
In a time of increasing international uncertainty, Egypt and Greece are pillars of stability with shared perspectives on major regional challenges, including the Cyprus and Gaza issues. For Greece, Egypt is more than just a strategic partner; it is the cornerstone of peace and stability in the Middle East and the bridge between EU and the greater region.
The two countries have now moved on to upgrade their excellent ties with a Strategic Partnership Agreement, an initiative that will safeguard stability and cooperation in the context of EU-Egypt relations and the Eastern Mediterranean as a whole.
The writer is an adjunct lecturer in geopolitics at the University of Athens in Greece.
* A version of this article appears in print in the 15 May, 2025 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly
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