Egypt: Minister of Foreign Affairs Sameh Shoukry met with the Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Foreign Minister Nikos Dindias in the Capital of Greek, Athens, on Tuesday, April 11, 2023. During the visit, the leaders discussed aspects of bilateral relations, their means of payment, and several regional and international files of mutual interest.
According to the updates, the Foreign Affairs Minister of Egypt, Sameh Shoukry, was eligible to meet Greece’s Foreign Minister, Nikos Dindias, where the ministers held a closed session followed by extensive bilateral discussions with participation across the two countries.
The discussion addressed various aspects of bilateral relations and regional and international issues of interest,” said Ambassador Ahmed Abu Zeid, the spokesman and director of the Department of Public Diplomacy in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
During the discussions, Minister Shoukry expressed the interest of the Egyptian government in facilitating the flow of Greek investments into the Egyptian market. He stressed the increasing volume of trade exchange. He worked on lowering obstacles faced by Greek companies in Egypt, emphasizing the importance of relying on Egypt as a starting point for the Arab and African markets.
Furthermore, the two sides emphasized the joint projects in the production of green hydrogen and new and renewable energy, headed by the electricity interconnection project between the two countries.
It was further said that it also enables Egypt to contribute to enhancing energy security for the European continent and strengthen its ability to produce and export energy to achieve the common interest of both sides.
The discussions also talked over different ways to enhance cooperation in the framework of the Middle East Forum and the trilateral cooperation mechanism that brings together Egypt, Greece and Cyprus, which became a model for regional cooperation mechanisms to face and address rising regional challenges in the two regions of the Middle East and the Mediterranean.
“The sides agreed on the importance of completing the exchange of views on ways to develop the spheres of bilateral and trilateral cooperation, which achieves greater security and stability for the three countries and contributes to the strengthening of cooperation,” as per the updates.
Regarding the meeting of the Foreign Minister with the Prime Minister of Greece, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Ambassador Ahmed Abu Zeid revealed that it reflected the depth and strength of the strategic relationship of friendship that unites Egypt and Greece, which are politically, economically and culturally centred.
He also pointed out that the ties are connected with historical references and geographical convergence that contribute to shaping shared interests and close insights between the two countries.
In this context, Minister Sameh Shoukry transferred a verbal message from President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, President of the Republic, to Prime Minister of Greece Kyriakos Mitsotakis, affirming the strength and durability of the strategic partnership that unites Egypt and Greece.
In his message on behalf of President El Sisi also noted that Egypt values the continued growth of these relations at various political and economic levels to achieve the interests of the two friendly countries.
Moreover, the Foreign Minister emphasized Egypt’s eagerness to supervise more new areas of cooperation, which in turn requires working together to develop the facet of this cooperation by contributing to making it a model to be followed in the field of cooperation relations between friendly countries.
Ambassador Abu Zeid concluded his remarks, noting that the Foreign Minister’s meetings in Athens also addressed a number of regional and international issues of common interest to the two countries. The discussions were led by the current escalation in the Palestinian territories, the Russian/Ukrainian crisis, developments in the situation in Syria, and other developments in the regional arena.
Minister Shoukry has sought to update Greek officials on the results of Egypt’s communications to achieve a truce between the Palestinian and Israeli sides.
In the end, the Foreign Minister’s discussions also touched on efforts to tackle the phenomenon of illegal immigration across the Mediterranean, combat terrorism, and coordinate security and military cooperation between the two countries.
