Bilateral relations, trilateral cooperation with Greece, the challenges in the Eastern Mediterranean, the war in Ukraine and the Cyprus problem were among the issues discussed during a meeting between the Foreign Ministers of Cyprus and Egypt in Cairo on Thursday.
In remarks after concluding his contacts with his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukri in Cairo, Foreign Minister Ioannis Kasoulides said they had an excellent opportunity for an in-depth discussion on the full range of the two countries' strategic partnership and to assess the progress achieved.
Of course, an important part of our discussion today was devoted to our fruitful bilateral relations, given that as Foreign Ministers we have been mandated by our Honorable Presidents to lead the preparations for the 2nd G2G to be held in Cyprus this autumn, he said, referring to the intergovernmental meeting between the two countries.
He went on to say that the meeting was another good opportunity to take stock of our trilateral cooperation with Greece. I had the opportunity to analyse in detail and update on the appointment of the Secretary General of the Trilateral Secretariat in Cyprus. A development which, I believe, will help coordination ahead of our 10th Trilateral Summit to be hosted by Egypt in the second half of the year, he said.
Regarding the geographical area of the two countries, Mr. Kasoulides said he reiterated the importance of Egypt's responsible and stabilizing role towards Libya and its critical contribution regarding all aspects of the Middle East peace process, including the situation in the Gaza Strip.
Regarding the Ethiopian Dam, he said, an issue of existential importance for Egypt, I reiterated Cyprus' full support for the achievement of a comprehensive and legally binding solution.
In addition, they exchanged views on the current situation in EU-Egypt relations. The Cypriot Foreign Minister said that Egypt is a strategic stronghold in the region and an important partner, and stressed that Cyprus will continue to actively support the maintenance of a good momentum in EU-Egypt relations.
The meeting also discussed the current situation in Ukraine and its dramatic consequences from energy to food security, which add to the challenges that have a significant impact on our region. This makes our cooperation even more imperative.
That said, he continued, I am pleased to note that the EU recognizes that the Eastern Mediterranean can play an important role as an alternative energy corridor, both for gas transportation and for cleaner energy sources such as green hydrogen and renewable energy through electricity interconnection. Egypt, also as host of COP 27, cannot but have a central role in all the options under consideration.
I strongly believe that such synergies are of central importance. Formations such as the successful example of the EMGF, which Cyprus is chairing this year, are shining examples of regional multilateral cooperation based on principles and common strategic interests, the Minister said, referring to the Eastern Mediterranean Gas Forum.
He concluded by saying that he had the opportunity to brief Mr. Sameh on the latest developments in the Cyprus issue and thanked him for Egypt's valuable, continuous and unwavering support.
Source: CNA
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