Egypt to launch 4th edition of Nostos-The Return initiative

CAIRO – 1 July 2021: Egyptian Minister of Immigration Nabila Makram announced the program of visits to the fourth edition of the ‘Nostos -The Return’ initiative.

Launched in April 2018, the Nostos initiative comes as a part of the diaspora program signed between Egypt, Cyprus and Greece, which aims to gather Cypriots and Greeks or their descendants in Alexandria for a return trip to the place where they or their ancestors once lived.

Minister Nabila Makram had stated that the agenda of the youth version program - which will be the fourth of "Reviving the Roots" - was agreed upon in coordination by her counterparts, the Greek Costas Vlassis, and the Cypriot Fotis Fotiu, to incorporate fields of: tourism, history, arts and culture among others.

The events, which will be held in the presence of the Greek and Cypriot ambassadors in Egypt, include visits to many places such as the Library of Alexandria, and some other ancient Greek-style places in Alexandria, in addition to a meeting with Pope Theodoros II, Pope and the Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa for the Romans. The trips will also include a visit to the Suez Canal and places of a Greek nature in Ismailia, as well as the pyramids, the Egyptian Parliament and the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization in Cairo.

‘Nostos -The Return’

Signing this program is considered by many to be a historic moment for the three countries, since it was the first time that cooperation on diaspora was achieved and also the first time that the three countries decided on a common strategy and joint actions.

Nostos – the Return, meaning “roots revival,” is an initiative launched by Makram in October upon directives from President Sisi. The initiative targets the second and third generation Greeks and Cypriots who once lived in Egypt.

The first edition included visits to the places in which their families used to live, such as Zizinia and El Raml neighborhoods in the Mediterranean seaport city of Alexandria, followed by a visit to the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria and All Africa, a tour of Giza Pyramids, and finally a visit to Saint Catherine’s Monastery in Sharm El Sheikh.

The initiative also aims at promoting Egyptian tourism through the launch of these events.