Egypt looks to elevate security, military, economic cooperation with Cyprus: Sisi

Ahram Online , Tuesday 5 Jul 2022

President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi stressed in a phone call with his Cypriot counterpart Nicos Anastasiades that Egypt looks forward to elevating cooperation with Cyprus, particularly at the levels of security, military, economy and energy, to achieve the interests of the two peoples.

Cypriot President Anastasiades and Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi

President El-Sisi expressed Egypt's appreciation for Egypt’s special relations with Cyprus and their positive development, Presidential Spokesperson Bassam Rady said in a statement.

The Cypriot president expressed his keenness to exchange views and consult with President El-Sisi on regional issues of common interest, as well as coordinate on issues pertinent to cooperation between the two countries, Rady noted.

The call also touched on regional developments and both sides affirmed the alignment of the two countries' interests and positions in the eastern Mediterranean region.

Egypt, Cyprus and Greece are part of the East Mediterranean Gas Forum, a Cairo-based international organisation that aims to establish a regional gas market and enhance trade relations among member states.

The leaders ofthe three countries have held several tripartite summits in recent years, the last of which was in October in Athens, to enhance cooperation in various fields, at the top of which is energy.

During this summit, the three countries signed an agreement on linking their respective power grids.

Today's call also witnessed a discussion on ways to coordinate efforts with Egypt as a leading partner of the European Union in the fields of combatting terrorism, extremism and irregular migration, Rady pointed out.

Egypt, which host some six million refugees from Arab and African countries, has stepped up its efforts since 2016 to deal with irregular migration, setting a legislative framework to combat smuggling of migrants.