 |
| Egypt's Sisi (L) & Cyprus' Anastasiades |
Contrary to official press releases, meetings between President Abdel Fattah El Sisi and his Cypriot and Greek counterparts did look at energy cooperation, Ittihadeya spokesman Bassan Rady tells Yahduth fi Masr (watch, runtime: 6:33). He then delved into the cultural aspects of the visit without elaborating further. Expectations were for an agreement to be signed this week, in light of Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades and his Greek counterpart Prokopis Pavlopoulos’ visit to Cairo for the “Week to Revive the Roots” cultural forum. Egypt and Cyprus had reached a preliminary agreement to build an underwater pipeline for the transfer of natural gas. The move is expected to put Egypt on the map as a regional hub for the processing and export of natural gas to Europe and could see the country receive mns in funding from the EU under an energy cooperation framework signed last week. An Egyptian-Cypriot-Greek business forum was also held yesterday in Alexandria, according to a Trade Ministry statement.
