​

Cyprus fully supports Egypt’s stabilising role in the region, including its efforts in Libya and Palestine, Cypriot Minister of Foreign Affairs Ioannis Kasoulides has said.

Kasoulides made the remarks on Thursday in a joint press conference with his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry during the former’s official visit to Cairo.  

The Cypriot FM said his country seeks to enhance the bilateral strategic relations with Egypt, expressing satisfaction with the progress recently achieved in these relations on all levels.  

Constructive bilateral cooperation between Egypt and Cyprus is crucial amid the recent international developments, said the Cypriot minister. 

He also hailed Egypt’s role regarding climate issues as Egypt prepares to host the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27) in November. 

Shoukry also hailed the cooperation between Egypt and Cyprus as firm and based on transparency, friendship and complete clarity. 

Shoukry added that Cyprus continues to deliver Egypt’s voice to members of the European Union regarding important issues linked to Egyptian national security and the efforts to enhance security and stability in the Eastern Mediterranean. 

“Cyprus’s deep understanding of the circumstances of the region and the situation in Egypt has always made Cyprus a partner in efforts to strengthen Egyptian relations with Europe and the EU,” Shoukry said.

Egypt and Cyprus are keen to enhance stability in the Eastern Mediterranean and to tackle the challenges that the region faces, the top Egyptian diplomat said. 

The two countries are also keen to explore fields of political, economic, and cultural cooperation, he added. 

Shoukry and Kasoulides discussed regional issues, including the Palestinian cause, the situation in Libya, efforts to achieve stability in the East Mediterranean region, and the activation of the EastMed Gas Forum. 

The two ministers also reviewed the outcome of the past meetings of the Egypt-Cyprus joint committee and discussed preparations for the coming meetings of the committee. 

Shoukry and Kasoulides held extensive talks earlier today, where they discussed cooperation in many fields, at the top of which is trade, energy, and investments. 

Over the past years, Egypt and Cyprus have been keen to enhance their bilateral cooperation in various fields, especially regarding the economy and energy. 

Both Egypt and Cyprus are members of the EastMed Gas Forum, a Cairo-based international organisation that aims to establish a regional gas market in the Eastern Mediterranean and enhance trade relations among member states. 

By the end of the year, work is expected to start to construct a pipeline connecting Cyprus’ Aphrodite natural gas field, estimated to hold up to 6 trillion cubic feet of recoverable gas reserves, to Egypt, Egyptian Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources told Bloomberg Asharq this week. 

This is based on an agreement signed between Egypt and Cyprus in September 2018 to connect the Aphrodite gas field to liquefaction plants in Edku via a marine pipeline. 

In October last year, Egypt also signed an accord with Cyprus on linking the two countries’ electricity transmission networks and an agreement with Greece on an undersea cable that will transmit power from North Africa to Europe. 

Egypt, Cyprus, and Greece have held several tripartite summits over the past several years, the last of which was in October in Athens, to enhance tripartite cooperation in various fields, at the top of which is energy. 

During the ninth trilateral summit gathering of the leaders of the three countries in the Greek capital in October, the three countries signed a trilateral agreement on power linkage to establish power pipelines linking Africa with Europe.