By The New Arab
Egypt’s President Abdelfattah al-Sisi on Wednesday visited Greece, meeting with Greek President Konstantinos Tasoulas at the presidential headquarters in Athens, where the pair discussed bilateral relations and the reconstruction of Gaza.
Egypt’s presidency issued a statement saying the meeting “affirmed the momentum bilateral relations have gained, embodied in the holding of the first meeting of the High-Level Cooperation Council between Egypt and Greece during the visit”.
Sisi also highlighted Egypt’s keenness to further cooperation and trade with Greece, as well as for both countries to work together in various fields such as tourism, energy and transportation.
“The meeting touched on regional issues of mutual interest, mainly the latest developments in the Gaza Strip, Syria, Libya, and Yemen, as well as maritime security in the Red Sea,” Egypt’s presidency added.
The two countries signed a “strategic partnership” deal, later issuing a statement reading: “Our bilateral cooperation is based on political, economic, and cultural ties, which are deeply rooted in history and defined by our strong commitment to the values of peace and the full respect of international law”.
The two leaders discussed the war on Gaza and reaffirmed their joint stance over the need to respect international law to promote peace in the besieged enclave.
“The first priority is for hostilities to stop and restore the flow of humanitarian aid to civilians,” Mitsotakis said in joint statements with Sisi. He said Greece supported an Arab-backed plan for the reconstruction of Gaza once a ceasefire was achieved.
Migration also topped the agenda of bilateral talks as European governments have long been worried about the risk of instability in Egypt, a country of 106 million people where economic adversity has pushed increasing numbers to migrate.
Egypt largely shut off irregular migration from its north coast in 2016, but the Greek islands of Crete and Gavdos have seen a steep rise in migrant arrivals, mostly from Afghanistan and Egypt.
The European Union last year announced a 7.4 billion euro ($8.40 billion) funding package and an upgraded relationship with Egypt, in part of a push to stem migrant flows from Egypt to Europe. Last month, the EU’s executive arm included Egypt, where human rights have come under scrutiny, on a list of “safe countries” where failed asylum seekers could be returned.
