Trilateral cooperation, energy and investments on agenda in Egypt

Foreign Minister Ioannis Kasoulides concluded his twoday working visit to Cairo with separate meetings with President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, Prime Minister Sherif Ismael and Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, discussing the practical implementation of cooperation projects between the two countries.

Kasoulides and President al-Sisi also discussed security, energy and investment issues and defined the course of cooperation based on the decisions taken during the trilateral High Level Summit amongst Cyprus, Egypt and Greece, held last December.

They further reviewed “the preparations for the EgyptGreece-Cyprus Trilateral Summit, which will take place in Egypt in October, and exchanged views on regional matters and the EU - Egypt relations.

The previous tripartite meeting between Greece, Egypt and Cyprus was held in Athens last December and had resulted in setting up a permanent consultation and cooperation mechanism between the three countries to be coordinated by the Foreign Ministries.

Kasoulides further pointed out that “we need to put emphasis on the i mplementation of joint projects of cooperation; projects on the energy sector; and in the field of agriculture and tourism, which would have a direct positive impact on our economies and on our societies.”

“The commitment of President Sissi to bring investments and jobs to Egypt is commendable, and I have expressed our intention to work closely with the Egyptian authorities towards this aim,” Kasoulides said.

During the meeting with the Prime Minister of Egypt, the bilateral relations were reviewed and new impetus was provided for the conclusion of cooperation agreements and programmes in the field of economy, energy, tourism, transports, health and education. Special emphasis was also given on the third round of licensing in the Cyprus Exclusive Economic Zone and the exploitation of the reserves in “Aphrodite” field.

During the political deliberations, Minister Kasoulides exchanged views with his Egyptian counterpart on regional developments, especially on the Middle East peace process, the crisis in Libya, Syria and Yemen, as well as the wider situation of instability in the region and a convergence of opinions was expressed.

The Cypriot Minister praised Egypt’s leading role in the Middle East and its essential contribution to the stability of the wider region through moderate approaches. Furthermore, he highlighted the need for a closer cooperation between the European Union and Egypt, in the context of the new European Neighboring Policy. On the sidelines of his visit to Cairo, Kasoulides met on Monday with the Secretary General of the Arab League, Ahmed Gheit, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dr. Ali Abdel Aal, and the Minister of Military Production, General Mohammed Al Assar.