Egypt Daily News – Egypt and Greece have reached a “strategic partnership,” which was signed on Wednesday between the two countries. This agreement comes as part of efforts to enhance political coordination in order to protect stability in the eastern Mediterranean amidst the ongoing war in Gaza. Egypt and Greece signed the “strategic partnership” agreement on Wednesday, as both countries seek to strengthen political coordination to help safeguard stability in the eastern Mediterranean during the Gaza conflict.
A joint statement by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis stated, “Our bilateral cooperation is based on political, economic, and cultural relations that are deeply rooted in history and characterized by our strong commitment to the values of peace and full respect for international law.”
The meeting of the officials took place on the sidelines of the first meeting of the Supreme Cooperation Council, which the two countries agreed to establish over a year ago to improve their relations.
The two leaders reiterated their shared position on the necessity of respecting international law to promote peace in Gaza.
Mitsotakis emphasized in the joint statement with El-Sisi that “the top priority is to halt hostilities and resume the flow of humanitarian aid to civilians.”
He added that Greece supports an Arab-backed plan for the reconstruction of Gaza once a ceasefire is reached.
The issue of migration was at the top of the agenda in the bilateral talks, as European governments have long been concerned about any developments that could destabilize Egypt, a country with a population of 107 million, which has seen increasing numbers of people migrate due to its economic difficulties.
It is worth noting that Egypt has largely succeeded in halting irregular migration from its northern shores in 2016. However, Greece’s islands of Crete and Gavdos have seen a sharp rise in the number of incoming migrants, most of whom are from Afghanistan and Egypt.
Last year, the European Union announced a funding package of 7.4 billion euros ($8.4 billion) for Egypt and elevated its relationship with the country as part of efforts to stop the flow of migrants from Egypt to Europe.
The European Commission listed Egypt last month as a “safe country” to which rejected asylum seekers can be deported.
