Egypt support's Cyprus’ efforts in its cause: Sisi

CAIRO – 20 November 2017: The relationship between Egypt and Cyprus is considered a model for strong international relations between countries according to President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi.

Addressing the Cyprus parliament on Monday, Sisi referred to the historical relations between Nicosia and Cairo. It started with Egypt supporting the Cyprus Liberation Movement during the 1960s, followed by the friendly relations that grew between former Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser and former Cypriot President Makarios III.

"I hoped to address all of you today as a complete parliament; however, I'm feeling sorry for the members who decided to boycott parliament sessions since 1963," Sisi said in his speech. He added that he is sure that all of Cyprus's efforts to resolve its situation will end successfully.

He also affirmed that Egypt completely supports Cyprus's efforts and causes.

Sisi then talked about the tensions in the Middle East region, saying that, "We are witnessing unstable conditions due to terrorism and illegal immigration; however, we are held responsible before our nations to provide them with security and peace."

He added that Egypt's government considers countering terrorism as one of the major human rights that needs to be considered before anything else.

Earlier, Sisi held a press conference with his Cypriot counterpart Nicos Anastasiades, affirming that he is looking forward to boosting relations and cooperation between the two countries. Sisi described the relations between Egypt and Cyprus as strong and historical.

Finally, Anastasiades described Sisi as “his friend”, adding that he is looking for more cooperation between the two countries.

President Sisi and Cypriot President Anastasiades exchanged their countries’ highest state honors and witnessed the signing of several cooperation agreements during the Egyptian president’s first official visit to Nicosia on Monday.

During his two-day visit, Sisi is expected to hold separate meetings with Anastasiades and Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras.

He is scheduled to participate in the fifth Egyptian-Greek-Cypriot tripartite summit on Tuesday. Several topics are expected to be discussed during the summit, including coordination between the three countries, as well as enhancing the relations in the political, economic, trade, security and tourism fields.

The first tripartite summit between Egypt, Greece and Cyprus was held for the first time in Cairo in 2014, and then in Nicosia in April 2015. The third summit was in Athens and the fourth was in Cairo in 2016.