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 honor 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\u2019s indispensable role in Europe\u2019s 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\u2019s 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 neighboring 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.(PIO)Partnership. Cairo, strategic partnership, EU-Egypt relations<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The text announces the launch of the Strategic and Comprehensive Partnership between the European Union and the Arab Republic of Egypt, highlighting the significant role of Egypt in regional stability and its indispensable role in Europe’s southeastern flank. It mentions the signing of a Joint Declaration that marks a new era in EU-Egypt relations, covering a wide range of sectors. The text also acknowledges Egypt’s efforts in addressing crises in Libya, Sudan, Palestine, and the Red Sea, particularly emphasizing President Sisi’s efforts towards achieving a ceasefire in Gaza and providing humanitarian relief. Additionally, it mentions Cyprus’s initiative, supported by the European Union, to establish a safe humanitarian maritime corridor to deliver aid to Gaza, complementing existing routes and mechanisms. The text concludes with Cyprus’s commitment to working with EU partners to ensure the success of the strategic partnership, aiming for peace, stability, and economic prosperity in the Mediterranean, the Middle East, the Red Sea, and the Horn of Africa.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":4597,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"Default","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[589,122,1024,1423,2134,3,2259,379,2407,201,2404,145,1235,187,1973,148,712,1178,69,1874,1193,345,2405,701,1824,827,1827,2406,293],"class_list":["post-4596","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-other","tag-africa","tag-aid","tag-cairo","tag-ceasefire","tag-challenges","tag-cyprus","tag-egypt","tag-eu","tag-eu-egypt-relations","tag-europe","tag-european-union","tag-gaza","tag-humanitarian","tag-international","tag-libya","tag-local","tag-maritime","tag-maritime-corridor","tag-middle-east","tag-national-security","tag-nature","tag-palestine","tag-president-christodoulides","tag-red-sea","tag-sectors","tag-security","tag-statement","tag-strategic-partnership","tag-war"],"acf":{"keyphrase":"","keywords":"","sourceimg":"","country-category":""},"yoast_head":"\n