ATHENS, May 7 (MENA) - Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis signed a joint declaration on the strategic partnership between Egypt and Greece.

The president and the Greek premier also witnessed the inking of several memoranda of understanding, reflecting the depth of bilateral relations between the two countries.

The signing of the declaration came after talks between Sisi and the Greek premier within the framework of the president's official visit to Greece.

The tete-a-tete meeting was followed by a plenary session attended by delegations of both countries. Then, a lunch banquet was held in honor of President Sisi, Presidential Spokesman Mohamed Shennawy said.

The talks tackled means of enhancing bilateral ties, including intensifying cooperation within the East Mediterranean Gas Forum and the trilateral mechanism between Egypt, Greece, and Cyprus.

The talks also reviewed the latest regional developments, notably the situation in Gaza.

The two sides underlined the importance of resuming the ceasefire agreement, releasing prisoners and captives, and ensuring the delivery of sufficient humanitarian aid to the enclave which suffers from escalating humanitarian crisis.

The two sides also reiterated the importance of implementing the two-state solution as the sole guarantee for lasting peace and stability in the region, calling for rallying up regional and international efforts to prevent escalation or expansion of the conflict in the region.

The talks also reviewed the latest developments in the Eastern Mediterranean region, with President Sisi welcoming the current de-escalation efforts.

They also discussed the conditions in Syria, Lebanon, Libya, Sudan, navigation security in the Red Sea, and the Russia-Ukraine crisis.

Following the talks, the two leaders chaired the first meeting of the High-Level Cooperation Council between Egypt and Greece.

The council tackled the progress realized so far in bilateral cooperation and the ongoing joint projects in various domains, topped by the electricity interconnection project between the two countries (GREGY).

The GREGY project represents a strategic step toward enhancing energy security in the region and the European Union as it is the first direct link for clean energy from Egypt to Europe via Greece.

The talks also tackled cooperation in the fields of technology, innovation, entrepreneurship, legal migration, and seasonal labor recruitment.

President Sisi highlighted the council’s importance as a quantum leap in promoting bilateral relations, enhancing close communication and coordination vis-a-vis issues of mutual concern, bolstering economic and developmental cooperation, exchanging expertise, and collaborating in vital fields such as transport, environment, maritime security, education, manufacturing, energy, and combating illegal migration and terrorism in light of Egypt’s successful experience in these areas.

President Sisi and Prime Minister Mitsotakis held a joint press conference to discuss the outcomes of their talks and the main issues addressed.(MENA)
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