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Egypt Reinforces Strategic Position as Telecom Hub through Subsea Cable with Greece

Signing ceremony between Telecom Egypt and Grid Telecom to build a subsea system (Egyptian Government)
Signing ceremony between Telecom Egypt and Grid Telecom to build a subsea system (Egyptian Government)
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Egypt Reinforces Strategic Position as Telecom Hub through Subsea Cable with Greece

Signing ceremony between Telecom Egypt and Grid Telecom to build a subsea system (Egyptian Government)
Signing ceremony between Telecom Egypt and Grid Telecom to build a subsea system (Egyptian Government)

Egypt concluded an agreement with Greece Tuesday to establish a subsea cable linking the two countries across the Mediterranean.

Telecom Egypt, the first integrated telecom operator, and Grid Telecom, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Independent Power Transmission Operator (IPTO) in Greece, signed a collaboration agreement to build a subsea system connecting the two countries.

Egypt’s Minister of Telecommunications and Information Technology Amr Talaat witnessed the signing ceremony in Cairo.

The Managing Director and CEO of Telecom Egypt, Adel Hamed, and the Chairman and CEO of IPTO, Manos Manousakis, signed the agreement.

The deal is a testimony of the strategic cooperation between Telecom Egypt and Grid Telecom.

It comes in line with Telecom Egypt’s strategy of strengthening its infrastructure, expanding its international network, and increasing its entry points to Europe by providing an eastern gateway via Greece through the new subsea system.

Talaat said that more than 90 percent of the data flow between East and West passes via Egyptian territorial waters and lands, pointing out that the agreement is the culmination of ten months of hard work since the start of the negotiations during his February visit to Greece.

During his previous visit, Talaat witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Telecom Egypt and Grid Telecom to connect the two countries using subsea cable systems.

The system will connect Port Said in Egypt to Crete island.

The Managing Director and CEO of Telecom Egypt, Adel Hamed, said that the new agreement would give additional value to the company’s worldwide reach to more than 140 destinations in over 60 countries.

Chairman and CEO of IPTO Manos Manousakis explained that IPTO Group is taking the initiative to transform Greece into a binding energy and data hub of high geopolitical value at the crossroads of Europe, Africa, and Asia.

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US, China Reach Deal to Cut Trade Deficit, US Officials Say

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent (L) and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer speak to the media after talks between seniors US and Chinese officials on tariffs at the residence of the permanent Swiss ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva on May 11, 2025. (Photo by VALENTIN FLAURAUD / AFP)
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent (L) and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer speak to the media after talks between seniors US and Chinese officials on tariffs at the residence of the permanent Swiss ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva on May 11, 2025. (Photo by VALENTIN FLAURAUD / AFP)
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US, China Reach Deal to Cut Trade Deficit, US Officials Say

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent (L) and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer speak to the media after talks between seniors US and Chinese officials on tariffs at the residence of the permanent Swiss ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva on May 11, 2025. (Photo by VALENTIN FLAURAUD / AFP)
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent (L) and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer speak to the media after talks between seniors US and Chinese officials on tariffs at the residence of the permanent Swiss ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva on May 11, 2025. (Photo by VALENTIN FLAURAUD / AFP)

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Sunday reported "substantial progress" in US talks with China's top economic officials to de-escalate a damaging trade war, but offered no details of an agreement reached as two days of negotiations wrapped up in Geneva.
Bessent told reporters that details would be announced on Monday and that US President Donald Trump was fully aware of the results of the "productive talks."
US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, who participated in the talks with Bessent, Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng and two Chinese vice ministers, described the conclusion as "a deal we struck with our Chinese partners" that will help reduce the $1.2 trillion US global goods trade deficit.
"And this was, as the Secretary pointed out, a very constructive two days. It's important to understand how quickly we were able to come to agreement, which reflects that perhaps the differences were not so large as maybe thought," Greer said, adding that the Chinese officials were "tough negotiators"
The meeting was the first face-to-face interaction between Bessent, Greer and He since the world's two largest economies imposed tariffs well above 100% on each other's goods.
Although Bessent has said the bilateral tariffs were too high and needed to come down in a de-escalation move, he did not offer any details of reductions agreed and took no questions from reporters, Reuters said.
Earlier, White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett said the Chinese were "very, very eager" to engage in discussions and rebalance trade relations with the United States.
Hassett also told Fox News that more foreign trade deals could be coming with other countries as soon as this week.
Overnight, Trump gave a positive reading of the talks, saying the two sides had negotiated "a total reset... in a friendly, but constructive, manner."
"A very good meeting today with China, in Switzerland. Many things discussed, much agreed to," Trump posted on his Truth Social platform.
"We want to see, for the good of both China and the US, an opening up of China to American business. GREAT PROGRESS MADE!!!," Trump added, without elaborating on the progress.
Speaking on "Sunday Morning Futures" on Fox News with Maria Bartiromo, Hassett said Beijing is eager to re-set trade relations with the United States.
"It looks like the Chinese are very, very eager to play ball and to re-normalize things," Hassett said.
Hassett also said more trade deal announcements could be imminent following last week's announcement of an agreement with the United Kingdom. He said he had been briefed by Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick on two dozen pending deals in development with USTR Greer.
"They all look a little bit like the UK deal but each one is bespoke," Hassett said.
GATED VILLA
The negotiating teams met at the gated villa of Switzerland's UN ambassador, overlooking Lake Geneva in the leafy suburb of Cologny. Black Mercedes vans with sirens shuttled to and from the venue, which was bathed in bright sunshine.
Neutral Switzerland was chosen as the venue following approaches by Swiss politicians on recent visits to China and the United States.
Washington is seeking to reduce its $295 billion goods trade deficit with Beijing and persuade China to renounce what the United States says is a mercantilist economic model and contribute more to global consumption, a shift that would require politically sensitive domestic reforms.