“In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful”

Your Excellency, President Nikos Christodoulides,

President of the Republic of Cyprus

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Allow me to express my immense pleasure for receiving you in Cairo today and for welcoming your first visit to Egypt as President of the friendly Republic of Cyprus. I would also like to express my great appreciation for having Egypt as your first regional destination, after your election as President of your country, demonstrating our joint commitment to the outstanding relations the two countries and their friendly peoples share.

And allow me, your Excellency, to laud your valued contributions, over the past years, to consolidating the joint cooperation and the strategic partnership between our countries through the various posts you previously held. I would not miss the chance to commend the valued contributions of former President of Cyprus, Nicos Anastasiades, to solidifying the bonds of friendship between our countries and his genuine efforts in this regard over the past ten years.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Emanating from our commitment to strengthening our bilateral partnership, I reviewed with His Excellency, the Cypriot President, the various trajectories of bilateral cooperation between the two countries. We agreed on the importance of a good preparation for the second round of The Egyptian–Cypriot Joint Higher Committee in order to achieve a significant leap in all aspects of our bilateral cooperation, primarily in the sector of energy, including the electricity interconnection project and the transmission of natural gas from Cyprus to two liquefaction plants in Egypt. This is, in addition to cooperation within new frameworks, including renewable and clean energy projects, increasing trade exchange, enhancing cooperation in all development and economic fields, and furthering the outstanding military relations.

I also agreed with His Excellency, the President of Cyprus, on advancing the close coordination, at the political level, on all issues of mutual interest. In this regard, I confirmed to His Excellency, the Cypriot President, the fundamental constants of Egypt's vision regarding the importance of achieving security and stability in the East Mediterranean region, by stressing the commitment of all States to the respect of international law and the UN Charter on the Principles of Non-Intervention in the Internal Affairs of other States, and respect of sovereign rights and regional waters of all States in the region.

I also underscored Egypt's unwavering position with regard to the Cypriot issue, stressing Egypt's support for endeavors to settle it in accordance with the relevant resolutions of international legitimacy and Security Council resolutions, and reiterating rejection of unilateral steps by any party, aimed at creating new facts on the ground in violation of Security Council resolutions.

Our meeting today was also a favorable opportunity to underline our appreciation of the tripartite partnership between Egypt, Cyprus and Greece and of the Tripartite Cooperation Mechanism between the three countries that represents a model to be emulated across all levels. Therefore, we agreed on the importance of a proper preparation for the upcoming Tripartite Cooperation Mechanism Summit, which Egypt will be pleased to host this year.

Regional issues of common concern were also addressed in our meeting today. We agreed on the significance of holding elections in Libya at the earliest time and emphasized the importance of the departure of all foreign forces and mercenaries from Libyan territory, in consistence with Libya's restoration of sovereignty, territorial integrity and stability.

On the Palestinian issue, I highlighted to His Excellency, the President of Cyprus, the need for concerted international efforts to avoid the escalation of violence, halt settlements, push forward efforts toward a final settlement for the sake of achieving peace and establishing an independent Palestinian State, in accordance with the resolutions of international legitimacy and on the basis of the two-state solution.

I also briefed His Excellency, the Cypriot President, on our continuing endeavors to achieve a just settlement for the Renaissance Dam issue and on our ongoing efforts to reach a legally-binding agreement on the filling and operation of the dam, in order to achieve the aspirations of all peoples for development, side by side, while preserving Egypt's unalienable water security.

Your Excellency the President,

Allow me, once again, to welcome you in Cairo, and express hope for the coming period to witness greater cooperation and coordination between Egypt and Cyprus, so as to realize prosperity and progress for our two friendly peoples, and to generate further momentum in our strategic partnership and the traditional friendship the two countries and their peoples share.

Thank you