Egyptian president declares backing Greece against sovereignty breaching attempts

CAIRO – 21 June 2021: In a joint press conference by President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in Cairo Monday, the Egyptian chief of staff declared backing Greece against any attempts targeting to breach its sovereignty.

President Sisi asserted Egypt’s fixed stance on the sovereignty of Eastern Mediterranean countries over national water. Similarly, the Egyptian and Greek chiefs of state congrued on bolstering trilateral cooperation with Cyprus. The Greek prime minister said that the Eastern Mediterranean zone should be a base for cooperation rather than fragmentation.

The president noted that bilateral ties with Greece have always been distinguished adding that relations with Greece in various fields are growing remarkably. President Sisi also expressed keenness on developing Egyptian-Greek relations in the sectors of trade exchange, investment, tourism, and energy, and on resuming maritime transportation between both states.

Further, the Egyptian and Greek chiefs of state agreed on backing the political process in Libya, and on the necessity of bringing back Palestinians and Israelis to negotiations.

In that context, the Greek prime minister expressed support to Egyptian efforts aimed at achieving stability in Libya. As for the Palestinian Cause, President Sisi underlined that Egypt is still deploying efforts to resume talks among Palestinians and Israelis for them to reach a settlement.

President Sisi received the Greek prime minister in Al Itihadiyah Presidential Palace Monday where they held talks prior to the joint press conference.

In their meeting, the Egyptian president stressed the salience of the international community’s role in the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) crisis.

That is because Ethiopia has abondoned negotiations on the filling and operation of the dam since March and wants to carry out the second filling (13.5 billion cubic meters) this summer without a legal binding agreement.  

Egypt and Sudan have been voicing objection over Ethiopian intransigence over the past decade, which led up to the current deadlock.