The President of the Hellenic Republic Katerina Sakellaropoulou stated that the signing of the Greece-Egypt agreement on the delimitation of an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) "is a milestone for relations" for both countries "as well as for the wider region."
Her comments were made during a meeting with visiting Egyptian President
Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.
Sakellaropoulou also underlined that it is very important for Greece and herself, personally, that the country is today welcoming the leader of a great, friendly nation, which is also a pillar of stability in the region and a real leader of power in the Muslim and Arab world.
She also expressed her regret that "the pandemic does not allow us to give your visit the splendour we would like."
Με χαρά υποδέχομαι σήμερα τον Πρόεδρο της Αιγύπτου Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi κατά την επίσημη επίσκεψή του στην Ελλάδα. Οι χώρες μας, πυλώνες σταθερότητας στην Αν. Μεσόγειο, συνδέονται με μακραίωνες σχέσεις φιλίας, ορόσημο των οποίων αποτελεί η Συμφωνία μερικής οριοθέτησης της ΑΟΖ. pic.twitter.com/FUZgBYTl31
— President GR (@PresidencyGR) November 11, 2020
On his part, the Egyptian President thanked Sakellaropoulou for the warm welcome and referred to the long-term relationship between the two countries. He noted that he has visited Greece many times and expressed his confidence that their discussions will be constructive.
He agreed with Sakellaropoulou regarding the Greece-Egypt EEZ agreement, noting that it will contribute to the strengthening of bilateral relations and added that other agreements will follow.
He also stressed that Egypt will stand by Greece and in support of its rights, on any issue related to the country's security and maritime borders.
Με τον Πρόεδρο Al-Sisi συζητήσαμε για την εμβάθυνση των σχέσεών μας στην άμυνα, την οικονομία και την ενέργεια. Στην κρίση που δοκιμάζει την περιοχή της Αν. Μεσογείου, Ελλάδα και Αίγυπτος αποτελούν πρότυπο στρατηγικής συνεργασίας και παράδειγμα ειρηνικής συνύπαρξης. pic.twitter.com/f6WIpwuHq4
— President GR (@PresidencyGR) November 11, 2020
The Greek President also held a dinner in honour of her counterpart from Egypt at the Presidential Palace on Wednesday evening.
She stressed that the presence of Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in Greece demonstrates the highest level and special weight of Greek-Egyptian relations. “A relationship characterised by cooperation, mutual respect, trust and appreciation and on the other hand, is an indisputable witness of the mutual will to further develop our cooperation in a number of areas, political, defence, economic, energy,” she said.
In response, the Egyptian President thanked her for the hospitality and warm welcome. “Egypt and Greece are among the oldest, most ancient and authentic cultures that have had a prominent role and undoubted influence in the progress of human civilisation, in the various fields of science, arts and literature," he said.
Abdel Fattah el-Sisi noted that the common values, mutual interests, and close cultural ties between Egypt and Greece make the two friendly countries an important bridge of meeting, dialogue, and cooperation between the Arab and Islamic worlds, on the one hand, and the European continent, on the other. “It places on our shoulders the common responsibility to spread the values of peace, tolerance, rejection of violence and mutual respect between the peoples and cultures of the southern and northern Mediterranean,” he continued.
