Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi and Greece's Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in their meeting on Thursday in New Alamein city, Egypt. Photo : Egyptian Presidency
This came during a meeting held in New Alamein city on Thursday between Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi and Greece's Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
"The talks witnessed an exchange of visions and viewpoints on regional files of common interest, [in line with] the consistency of the positions of the two countries in the eastern Mediterranean region," read a statement released by the Egyptian presidential spokesman.
"The Eastern Mediterranean Gas Forum represents one of the most important tools in this context," added the statement.
The Cairo-based EMGF was established in 2020, comprising eight countries including Egypt and Greece, with the aim of boosting gas trade among regional states.
El-Sisi and Mitsotakis voiced their keenness to promote bilateral ties and speed up the activation and implementation of the agreements and memorandums of understanding recently signed between the two countries.
They also urged continued cooperation in the fields of military, economic, and cultural fields, as well as in energy, natural gas, and power connectivity and green transformation sectors, added the statement.
President El-Sisi also expressed his appreciation for Greece's position towards Egypt, whether at the bilateral level or within the framework of the European Union. He also praised the "fruitful" trilateral cooperation with Cyprus.
The three countries have intensified their trilateral cooperation mechanisms over the past decade, signing several agreements in several fields, including a major deal to link their power grids in October 2021.
For his part, the Greek prime minister said the recent years have seen "remarkable" progress in cooperation with Egypt, expressing his country's keenness to continue deepening these relations.
He also noted that Egypt plays a "prominent" role in facing the current challenges in the Mediterranean region, according to the statement.
The Greek prime minister expressed his appreciation for Egypt's efforts to confront irregular migration in the Mediterranean basin, especially in light of the burdens it shoulders due to hosting millions of refugees.
In addition, the talks dealt with a series of issues of mutual interest, including the global repercussions of the Russian-Ukrainian crisis and the developments in Libya.
In this respect, El-Sisi reiterated Egypt's position of supporting the political track in Libya as well as calling for presidential and parliamentary elections, the exit of all foreign forces and mercenaries from Libyan lands, and the restoration of Libya's sovereignty, territorial integrity, and stability.
Both sides agreed during their meeting to press ahead with coordination to face the various common challenges facing the region to achieve the aspirations of its peoples to live in peace, security, and stability.
Mitsotakis's visit is the first to the region after his re-election and the formation of his new government.
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