Amb Saleh asserts Egyptian-Greek keenness on cooperation

Ambassador Hamdy Saleh, Former Assistant to Foreign Minister, said that Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ visit to Egypt is timely and significant

Ambassador Hamdy Saleh, Former Assistant to Foreign Minister, said that Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ visit to Egypt is timely and significant. President Abdel Fattah e-Sisi and his Greek counterpart emphasized major issues one of which is the historical ties between the two nations as the relation between Egypt and Greece goes back thousands years when culture and civilization were very much intermingled, he illustrated.

In a phone call with (Daily Debate), Saleh said that the perception of the two leaders is very close in tackling major regional issues; the east Mediterranean and Egypt’s consistent position, the issue of energy, oil and gas which is now a very substantial one.

The ambassador highlighted the identical vision of the two leaders in other different issues as emphasizing the importance of implementing the United Nations resolution regarding Cyprus, stressing the importance of the Libyan integration and sovereignty, and dealing with the urgent need to revive the peace negotiations between the Israeli and Palestinian sides on the basis of the international legitimacy resolutions and international law.

On Ethiopia’s Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), the ambassador referred to Mitsotakis’ support for Egypt’s position and the need to reach a fair, balanced, legally-binding agreement on the filling and operation of the dam.

Saleh stressed the firm cooperative relations with both Greece and Cyprus, referring to the importance of expanding economic cooperation between the three countries, giving an example of the cable of electricity connecting Egypt with Greece and Europe.

The former assistant to the foreign minister believed that the Greek PM’s visit comes in a critical time when there are various efforts from Turkey and other countries to change the balance in eastern Mediterranean, emphasizing that Egypt is the country which is really creating a certain balance in this region by calling for a peaceful coexistence among the countries and establishing fruitful cooperation between them.

Greece is an important partner, he said, and can play an active role as part of the European Union. It is a substantial member of the European Union in spite of the fact that it is facing so many economic problems and political pressure concerning the conflict with Turkey and the issue of Cyprus, he illustrated, adding that Greece has been working with us to develop that relationship between Egypt and the Europeans.

The problem, for his part, is that the European Union itself is divided and does not have a clear perception of what policy they would like to pursue with regards to these issues either the eastern Mediterranean or what is going on in Libya.

To a large extent, Saleh added, Egypt is trying to push the European Union into creating a platform which will help in establishing peace in Libya and stability in Cyprus, establishing a platform for cooperation and resolving the issue of eastern Mediterranean.

Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi received on Monday Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in Cairo at the Presidential Palace.