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President Nikos Christodoulides met Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in El Alamein on Tuesday morning, with energy, defense, and the region’s rapidly changing political landscape on the table.
The meeting came ahead of a trilateral summit at 1 p.m., when Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis will join the two presidents.
Christodoulides arrived in Egypt with Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos and Government Spokesperson Konstantinos Letymbiotis. During the morning meeting, he and Sisi discussed closer cooperation between Cyprus and Egypt, particularly on energy and defense.
They also talked about the latest regional developments and Egypt’s relationship with the European Union. Cyprus is trying to use its position as an EU member and Egypt’s close neighbor to help bring Cairo and Brussels closer together.
Energy is likely to be one of the biggest issues for Cyprus. Egypt has the infrastructure and regional influence that Cyprus needs if it is ever to make proper use of its offshore gas discoveries.
None of this means lower electricity bills next month; Cyprus has heard plenty of big energy plans before. But Egypt remains one of the most realistic partners for getting Cypriot gas to market and improving the island’s energy connections.
Security matters just as much. Cyprus is only a short distance from conflicts and tensions stretching from Gaza and Lebanon to Libya and the Gulf. When something goes wrong in the region, the effects can reach the island quickly through higher fuel prices, disrupted travel, pressure on shipping, and new migration flows.
After their meeting, Christodoulides and Sisi visited the El Alamein International Airshow. They toured the exhibition stands before watching the aerial display.
Attention now turns to the afternoon summit with Mitsotakis. The three leaders are expected to discuss energy, defense, migration, and the wider situation in the Eastern Mediterranean.
They are also expected to examine the new Mecca defense agreement between Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan. The pact states that an attack on one of the three countries will be treated as an attack on all of them, a development that adds a new and powerful alliance to the regional picture.
