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I am delighted to join Ursula,
and my colleagues (Giorgia, Karl, Kyriakos and Alexander), here in Cairo and
I would like to wholeheartedly thank President Sisi for the warm hospitality
as always. Each time I come to Cairo, it is like coming home.
It is also a great honour to be
part of such a historic day. A day that marks the launch of the Strategic and
Comprehensive Partnership between the European Union and the Arab Republic of
Egypt. Thank you, Ursula, for leading the way and delivering this important
document.
It is a day that stands for
political commitment, cooperation and leadership.
Cyprus, is not only the
geographically closest EU Member State to Egypt. Cyprus and Egypt share a
deep, historic friendship that in recent years has become a true and deep
strategic partnership anchored on a solid foundations of true friendship.
Cyprus, fully cognizant of the
critical role of Egypt as a pillar of stability in the region, has long
advocated for the development of a strategic partnership between the EU and
Egypt. And today I am proud that we are witnessing its fruition.
The Joint Declaration signed a
few moments ago marks the beginning of a new era in EU-Egypt relations. The
broad scope and strategic nature of the wide-ranging sectors identified in
the Declaration, fully reflect Egypt’s indispensable role in Europe’s southeastern
flank.
Today we take a substantial
step towards making each other stronger in addressing common challenges and
in harnessing the potential in our partnership, which is limitless and awaits
to be further harnessed.
With Egypt we also share a
common vision for a peaceful, Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East. It is a
vision President Sisi has been a key architect in constructing and
implementing, demonstrating true leadership.
Egypt plays a critical role in
addressing numerous crises: from Libya, to Sudan, Palestine, and the Red Sea.
Specifically in Gaza, Egypt,
President Sisi has been exerting tremendous efforts to achieve a ceasefire,
to prevent the conflict from spreading, to bring lasting peace, and to
provide much needed humanitarian relief for the civilians in Gaza. I want to
once again publicly thank President Sisi for his country’s tireless efforts
in this respect.
In the same context I also want
to underline yet again that the displacement of Gazans is unacceptable, and
it also compromises the national security of neighbouring countries.
We all agree that it is crucial
that we deliver more aid to Gaza. To this end, since the start of the war,
Cyprus has worked on providing a supplementary option to the international
community for the delivery of aid. Last week, Cyprus joined by a number of
partners including the European Union, always under the leadership of Ursula,
has established a safe humanitarian maritime corridor.
I want to stress once again
that this effort is of purely humanitarian in nature and complimentary to the
existing routes and mechanisms already in place.
In concluding, I wish to stress
that Cyprus will continue working with its partners in the European Union to
see this strategic partnership flourish, particularly with the objective of
ensuring peace and stability but also economic prosperity in the Mediterranean,
the Middle East, the Red Sea and the Horn of Africa.
(RM/NG)
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