Egypt is the most important country in the region for Cyprus, President Nikos Christodoulides said on Monday afternoon during a meeting with Egyptian House of Representatives Speaker Hisham Badawy at the Presidential Palace.
Welcoming the Egyptian parliamentary speaker, President Christodoulides said the two countries had always worked together on a positive agenda and not against third parties, sending the message that countries which respect international law and the law of the sea, and maintain good neighbourly relations, “can work with us for the benefit of the region”.
Badawy expressed Cairo’s appreciation for Cyprus, which he described as a “sister country”, for its efforts to strengthen cooperation between the European Union and Middle Eastern countries, as well as to promote stability in the region.
Welcoming Badawy and members of the Egyptian delegation, the President noted that two members of the delegation had “played a decisive role in strengthening our bilateral relations at a strategic level, as well as our trilateral cooperation”. The Egyptian delegation also includes former Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, who chairs the Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs, and former Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Tarek El Molla, who chairs the Parliamentary Committee on Energy and the Environment.
“Without a second thought, Mr President, Egypt is the most important country in the region for us,” President Christodoulides told Badawy, noting that Cyprus had stood by Egypt and President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi “when many at international level did not understand the importance of President Sisi’s presidency”.
He said cooperation between the two countries was “excellent” in political, energy and defence matters, adding that, at EU level, Cyprus was “Egypt’s ambassador”, while also expressing satisfaction that, “after many years, we managed last year to hold the first European Union-Egypt summit”.
“Speaking about Europe and the challenges it faces, I am pleased that the first Cypriot natural gas will be exported to Europe through Egypt in early 2028,” he added.
President Christodoulides also described Egypt as a “model country” in terms of migration management. “What we consistently stress within the European Union, as the Republic of Cyprus, is the need to further strengthen the country and President Sisi”, he noted.
Concluding his remarks, the President said, “we cooperate and work together, always with a positive agenda. We do not cooperate against third parties. Always on the basis of international law and without exclusions, we work for the benefit of our countries, the peoples of the region, and cooperation and stability,” he said, adding that “all countries which respect international law, respect the law of the sea and maintain good neighbourly relations can work with us for the benefit of the region”.
Speaking through an interpreter, the Egyptian House Speaker conveyed the “warm greetings” of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, expressing his pleasure at being in the “friendly Republic of Cyprus” following an invitation from the President of the Cyprus House of Representatives.
He also expressed his country’s “particular appreciation” for the upgrading of bilateral relations, which, he noted, now have the status of a strategic partnership.
Badawy stressed Egypt’s willingness to further strengthen relations between the two legislative bodies, noting that parliamentary cooperation was “one of the most important aspects of bilateral relations”.
He also welcomed the visible increase in trade between the two countries over the past two years and called for the activation of all agreements and memoranda of understanding signed between them in the fields of tourism, education, scientific research, telecommunications and information technology, as well as aquaculture and water resources management.
“We greatly appreciate the support provided by the sister Republic of Cyprus for strengthening cooperation between the European Union and Middle Eastern countries, as well as for promoting stability in the region,” he said, thanking President Christodoulides for his “longstanding and continuous support” on all matters concerning Egypt.
Badawy also called for the implementation of the agreement on the recruitment of Egyptian workers in Cyprus, with an increase in the number of workers recruited from Egypt, whether for seasonal or permanent employment.
Concluding his remarks, Badawy wished Cyprus progress and prosperity, and the Cypriot people security, prosperity and continued progress.
