Egypt, Greece, and Cyprus stress stronger cooperation in Eastern Mediterranean

Radwa ElSayed Hani , Sunday 18 Jan 2026

Minister of Foreign Affairs Badr Abdelatty held on Sunday political consultations with his Greek and Cypriot counterparts, Giorgos Gerapetritis and Constantinos Kombos, within the framework of the trilateral cooperation mechanism.

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Egyptian, Greek and Cypriot foreign ministers meet in Cairo. Photo: Egyptian foreign ministry

 

The three officials stressed the importance of strengthening cooperation to enhance security and stability in the Eastern Mediterranean.

According to the Egyptian foreign ministry, the meeting addressed ways to further enhance ties among the three countries.

Abdelatty highlighted that these ties contributed to the establishment of the trilateral summit mechanism, which has become a model for regional cooperation and integration.

He stressed the importance of regular summit meetings and continuous follow-up on the implementation of agreements and memoranda of understanding to enhance cooperation. He also emphasized ongoing coordination at the United Nations (UN), international forums, and related multilateral events.

Abdelatty valued Cyprus and Greece’s support for Egypt within the European Union (EU), looking forward to continued trilateral coordination, especially during their EU presidency.

The Egyptian FM emphasized the importance of enhancing trilateral relations in the economic, trade, investment, and tourism fields, creating more opportunities for the private sector.

The partnership, he noted, includes strategic sectors of vital importance such as energy, gas, and electricity interconnection, with plans to expand into technology, innovation, entrepreneurship, and artificial intelligence.

Moreover, Abdelatty highlighted the importance of trilateral cooperation in the migration sector, particularly irregular migration. He also noted the importance of such cooperation for Egypt, which bears the burden of hosting over 10 million foreigners of various nationalities.

Furthermore, the Egyptian FM stressed that cooperation to address irregular migration must be matched by parallel efforts to facilitate regular, orderly, and legal migration. He also highlighted the importance of deploying seasonal Egyptian labour to Greece and Cyprus according to both countries’ needs.

Gaza developments
 

According to the Egyptian foreign ministry, the talks also addressed the latest regional developments, particularly the situation in Gaza. The three ministers discussed the upcoming steps following the transition to the second phase of US President Donald Trump’s plan and the formation of the Palestinian Technocratic Committee.

Abdelatty stressed the importance of implementing all obligations of the second phase. He reaffirmed Egypt’s support for the committee in managing Gaza in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 2803. He also highlighted the need for the committee to promptly undertake governance tasks and manage the daily affairs of Palestinians.

Moreover, Abdelatty emphasized preserving the connection between the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. He also stressed the importance of deploying the International Stabilization Force (ISF) to monitor the ceasefire and ensure Israeli withdrawal, highlighting Egypt’s efforts to train Palestinian police personnel.

In addition, the Egyptian FM reviewed Egypt’s ongoing efforts to facilitate aid entry into Gaza, stressing the importance of launching the early recovery and reconstruction phase. He also welcomed Greece’s willingness to actively participate in Gaza’s reconstruction.

Middle East crises
 

Addressing the Libyan crisis, Abdelatty affirmed Egypt’s firm position, which insists on preserving Libya’s unity and stability and rejects any foreign interventions. He also stressed the need for a comprehensive and purely Libyan solution that meets the aspirations of the Libyan people and safeguards national sovereignty.

Moreover, he noted the continued efforts to advance the political process toward holding presidential and parliamentary elections simultaneously at the earliest opportunity. He also emphasized the withdrawal of all foreign forces and mercenaries from Libya to achieve stability.

Regarding Sudan, Abdelatty highlighted the outcomes of the Fifth Consultative Meeting on Enhancing Coordination of Peace Initiatives and Efforts for Sudan, held in Cairo on Wednesday. He also pointed out Egypt’s efforts within the Quad framework to reach a humanitarian truce leading to a comprehensive ceasefire.

He affirmed Egypt’s steadfast support for Sudan’s unity, territorial integrity, sovereignty, and national institutions.

Additionally, the talks also addressed the situation in the Horn of Africa, where Abdelatty reaffirmed Egypt’s rejection of any violation of Somalia’s unity and territorial integrity. He also condemned Israel’s unilateral recognition of Somaliland as violating international law and Somalia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

He warned that the move destabilizes the Horn of Africa region and risks undermining security and stability in the Red Sea.

๐Ÿ“ Cairo
Bilateral meeting between FM George Gerapetritis & #Egypt FM Badr Abdelatty.

Τhe two FMs discussed Strategic Partnership between #Greece 
๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ท and #Egypt๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡ฌ, and exchanged views on int’l & regional dvpts, including Gaza, Libya & Sudan. pic.twitter.com/nc2S03CnI2

— Υπουργεฮฏο ΕξωτερικฯŽν (@GreeceMFA) January 18, 2026

๐Ÿ“Cairo - First bilateral visit in 2026.

Thank you my dear colleague Dr Badr Abdelatty, Foreign Minister of #Egypt for the warm welcome and hospitality.

Main points of our bilateral consultations:


๐Ÿ”น๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡พ-๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡ฌ ways to further strengthen our strategic relations and cooperation.… pic.twitter.com/bpnt3Hhe9x

— Constantinos Kombos (@ckombos) January 18, 2026

For his part, the Greek FM praised Egypt’s efforts to achieve peace in the Middle East, emphasising that achieving regional stability is essential to prevent chaos. He also affirmed upholding international law on freedom of navigation in the Red Sea.

Similarly, the Cypriot FM called for adherence to international law and de-escalation of regional tensions.

The ministers concluded by stressing the importance of preserving the unity, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of states. They also emphasized promoting political solutions to crises and coordinating positions to strengthen regional and international security and stability. Finally, they affirmed continuing consultations on issues of mutual interest to advance shared objectives.

 

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