CAIRO: Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi inaugurated the High Governmental Committee for Bilateral Cooperation between Egypt and Cyprus on Saturday, Sept. 4, at a reception at the Heliopolis Palace in Cairo with Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades.
Presidential spokesman Bassam Rady said the two presidents held a session of bilateral talks prior to the first meeting of the committee, attended by various Egyptian ministers and a Cypriot delegation.
Anastasiades thanked El-Sisi for his warm reception, expressing his happiness at the visit and his pride at the strong historical ties between their respective nations.
The Cypriot president also stressed that the committee would strengthen the partnership between Nicosia and Cairo, maximizing the benefits and opportunities offered by bilateral cooperation.
Rady said the committee reviewed various areas, including the energy sector with its existing frameworks on issues such as electrical interconnection projects, and possible areas of expansion into fields such as renewable energy projects.
In addition, the committee discussed the importance of accelerating the pipeline project linking the Cypriot Aphrodite gas field with Egyptian liquefaction stations in Damietta, in preparation for export to European markets.
The talks also touched on security and defense, agriculture, fishing, tourism, culture and transport, as well as efforts to increase trade and investment in partnership with the private sector, and cooperation in scientific research and higher education.
The two leaders reiterated that the convening of the committee was an affirmation of the increasingly strong bilateral relations between their states, and emphasized the need for further work on turning this political commitment into tangible, beneficial outcomes.
