Egypt Asserts Efforts to Continue Trilateral Cooperation with Cyprus, Greece

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades, and Greek PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis after a trilateral summit in Nicosia, Cyprus, Oct. 21, 2020. (Reuters)
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades, and Greek PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis after a trilateral summit in Nicosia, Cyprus, Oct. 21, 2020. (Reuters)
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Egypt Asserts Efforts to Continue Trilateral Cooperation with Cyprus, Greece

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades, and Greek PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis after a trilateral summit in Nicosia, Cyprus, Oct. 21, 2020. (Reuters)
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades, and Greek PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis after a trilateral summit in Nicosia, Cyprus, Oct. 21, 2020. (Reuters)

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi hailed the growing bilateral cooperation with Cyprus, reflected in the keenness to coordinate stances on regional issues of mutual concern.

Sisi also affirmed Egypt's efforts to activate trilateral cooperation with Cyprus and Greece.

During a phone call with Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades, Sisi discussed issues of bilateral relations and regional developments, within the framework of common interests and stances in the Eastern Mediterranean region, announced presidential spokesman Bassam Rady.

Egypt has close ties with Greece and Cyprus, and the three countries hold regular summits within the framework of their cooperation in the energy field in the Mediterranean.

Rady indicated that the two leaders discussed cooperation in the field of energy, and exchanged views on the developments of several regional issues.

Last December, the Egyptian President described his country's tripartite cooperation with Greece and Cyprus as an example of good neighbor relations that promote security and stability in the Eastern Mediterranean region.

For his part, the Cypriot president expressed his keenness to coordinate and exchange views with Sisi on all issues of common interests, according to Rady.

Anastasiades hailed the firm and growing relations between Egypt and Cyprus in various fields, affirming his country’s willingness to take further steps to strengthen the ongoing bilateral relations and friendship with Egypt.

The leaders of Egypt, Greece, and Cyprus previously agreed on the necessity of combating “escalation policies” of Turkey in the East Mediterranean, which threaten the stability of the region.

During their tripartite summit in Nicosia last October, the leaders asserted the importance of coordinating with international partners to take measures that maintain the requirements of regional security.

At the end of 2020, the three countries conducted “Medusa 10” joint naval and aerial training on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea in Egypt, with the participation of French and Emirati navy, aerial and special forces, as well as observers from Saudi Arabia, US, Bahrain, Sudan, Jordan, Italy, and Germany.


The drill is part of the coordination efforts and joint work to confront the challenges in the Mediterranean region.



Stampede Kills Four People, Injures 16 in Umayyad Mosque in Damascus

A crowd gathers outside the Umayyad Mosque as they await updates following a stampede that occurred during Friday prayers in Damascus, Syria, Friday Jan. 10, 2025. (AP)
A crowd gathers outside the Umayyad Mosque as they await updates following a stampede that occurred during Friday prayers in Damascus, Syria, Friday Jan. 10, 2025. (AP)
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Stampede Kills Four People, Injures 16 in Umayyad Mosque in Damascus

A crowd gathers outside the Umayyad Mosque as they await updates following a stampede that occurred during Friday prayers in Damascus, Syria, Friday Jan. 10, 2025. (AP)
A crowd gathers outside the Umayyad Mosque as they await updates following a stampede that occurred during Friday prayers in Damascus, Syria, Friday Jan. 10, 2025. (AP)

Four people were killed and 16 injured in a stampede in the landmark Umayyad Mosque in Damascus on Friday, the Syrian state news agency (SANA) said.

Five children suffered fractures, severe bruises and fainting, the civil defense said in a statement.

Authorities were trying to determine the causes of the incident and will hold those responsible accountable, Damascus Governor Maher Marwan told SANA.

"We are working to take urgent measures to ensure that such incidents are not repeated in public places in the future," SANA quoted him as saying.

Syria's new rulers seized control of Damascus on Dec. 8, forcing President Bashar al-Assad to flee after more than 13 years of civil war and ending his family's decades-long rule.