Egypt reiterates its firm stance towards solving Cyprus problem based on Security Council resolutions

BY

Walaa Ali

-

Sat, 13 Feb 2021 - 03:18 GMT

BY

Walaa Ali

Sat, 13 Feb 2021 - 03:18 GMT

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, and Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades during a meeting in Nicosia, Cyprus November 21, 2017 - REUTERS_Yiannis Kourto

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, and Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades during a meeting in Nicosia, Cyprus November 21, 2017 - REUTERS_Yiannis Kourto

CAIRO -14 February 2020: The Egyptian Ambassador to Cyprus, Amr Mohsen Hamza, affirmed the firm stance of the Egyptian leadership towards solving the Cyprus problem, based on UN Security Council resolutions.
 
 
Hamza's remarks came during his meeting with Speaker of the Cyprus Parliament Adamos Adamou, the official Cyprus News Agency reported, Saturday.
 
 
For his part, Adamo expressed his country's thanks to Egypt for its continuous support to Cyprus and its principled position on resolving its case. He stressed that Turkey's stances, which have long affirmed its desire to continue dividing the Arabian Peninsula, are inconsistent with United Nations resolutions, and the agreed framework for solving the Cyprus problem, therefore, cannot be accepted.
 
 
The two sides referred to the excellent relations between Cairo and Nicosia, which cover many sectors, as they expressed a common desire to enhance and push them forward.
 
 
The two sides touched upon the discussions on the Eastern Mediterranean Gas Forum and the "Friendship Forum" that was held in Athens recently, with the participation of the region's foreign ministers, as an expansion of the trilateral cooperation between Greece, Cyprus and Egypt.
 
 
They stressed the importance of strengthening cooperation among the countries of the region that adopt the same principles in order to promote peace, stability and prosperity in the regions of the Eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East.
 
 
They exchanged views on the epidemiological situation of the new Coronavirus epidemic in both countries, expressed their hope for the resumption of the exchange of visits between the two parliaments shortly.
 
 
It is worth noting that Cyprus has been divided since 1974 when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third, while the last round of talks to solve that problem took place in 2017 in the Swiss resort of Crans Montana with the support of the United Nations, but failed to achieve any positive results.
 

Egyptian-Cypriot relations


The relations between Cairo and Nicosia date back to 1960 according to the State Information Service (SIS). Both countries have supported each other internationally in more than one occasion, including supporting each other’s candidacy for the membership of various committees within the United Nations.



Egypt also was among the first countries that declared recognizing Cyprus’s independence. Former Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser and former Cypriot President Makarios III enjoyed friendly relations during the sixties.



In September 2014, President Sisi met with his Cypriot counterpart on the sideline of the 69th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Several topics were discussed then by the two leaders, along with announcing both countries’ support for each other’s cause and political strategies.



The volume of trade between Egypt and Cyprus has increased to €41.3 million between January and July 2017 compared to €29 million during the same period last year, with a growth rate of 42.4 percent.



According to SIS, Cyprus participates with $1.07 billion in shares in more than 163 Egyptian companies, mostly in the tourism sector.



In October 2012, both Egypt and Cyprus signed an agreement in the field of oil and gas exploration, especially on the border zones of both countries.



During Sisi’s last visit, several new agreements were signed between the two parties including Memoranda of Understanding in health affairs, security issues, tourism and communications.

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