Cairo: Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty engaged in discussions with his counterparts from Greece and Cyprus to explore mechanisms for facilitating legal and regulated migration, specifically focusing on the deployment of seasonal Egyptian workers to Greece and Cyprus in sectors requiring labor assistance.
According to State Information Service Egypt, Abdelatty participated in a tripartite meeting with Mr. Giorgos Gerapetritis, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Greece, and Mr. Konstantinos Koumbos, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Cyprus. During the meeting, the Egyptian Foreign Minister highlighted that trilateral cooperation on migration is a cornerstone of the partnership, especially considering the challenges posed by irregular migration. Egypt currently hosts over 10 million foreigners from various nationalities, adding significant strain on its resources. He emphasized the necessity of complementing efforts against irregular migration with initiatives to facilitate legal migration.
Abdelatty stressed the importance of holding regular meetings under the trilateral summit mechanism, ensuring continuous follow-up on the agreements, and memoranda of understanding concluded during these summits. This would enhance cooperation among the three countries, particularly on migration issues.
The minister also highlighted the need for active trilateral relations and close coordination among the countries' delegations within the United Nations and other international forums. He expressed appreciation for the supportive stances of Cyprus and Greece toward Egypt within the European Union and looked forward to ongoing coordination, particularly during their respective presidencies of the EU.
Furthermore, Abdelatty advocated for expanding trilateral cooperation in economic, trade, investment, and tourism sectors. He noted that the partnership already includes strategic sectors such as energy, natural gas, and electricity interconnection, and expressed Egypt's desire to explore emerging areas like technology, innovation, entrepreneurship, and artificial intelligence.
The meeting also involved discussing regional and international issues, with a focus on developments related to the Palestinian issue. The ministers reviewed steps following the transition to the second phase of the U.S. President's plan and the formation of the Palestinian technocratic committee.
Discussions extended to developments in Libya, Syria, Lebanon, Yemen, Sudan, and Somalia, emphasizing the importance of unity, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of these nations. The ministers agreed on the need for enhanced coordination and cooperation to address regional challenges and support efforts to bolster security and stability.
Concluding the meeting, the ministers agreed to continue consultations on mutual interests, particularly in the Eastern Mediterranean, underscoring the importance of coordinated positions to advance shared interests and promote regional security and stability.