After Thessaloniki and the 90th TIF, the agenda of Kyriakos Mitsotakis includes today's important visit to Egypt, signaling Athens' effort to further strengthen its geopolitical footprint in an extremely sensitive region.
The visit is taking place at a critical juncture for the Eastern Mediterranean and includes both a bilateral meeting of the prime minister with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi and an informal trilateral meeting of the leaders of Greece, Cyprus and Egypt.
At the Maximos Mansion they attach particular importance to the meeting with the Egyptian president, as the relationship between the two countries is now considered one of the main pillars of Greek foreign policy, especially in recent years.
They also believe that this strategic relationship takes on even greater significance under today's conditions of conflicts, crises and geopolitical realignments. Bilateral relations, regional security and developments in the Middle East and North Africa are expected to be on the table.
It is no coincidence that Kyriakos Mitsotakis himself, speaking in Thessaloniki, described Egypt as part of a broader network of strategic relations that Greece has built in recent years with countries in North Africa, the Middle East and the Gulf.
His main message is that Greece is not confined to the role of observer of developments, but is attempting to become an active player and a “bridge” between Europe, the Middle East and the Gulf countries.
Particular weight is given to the energy dimension of the Greek-Egyptian relationship. Mr. Mitsotakis has described the relationship between the two countries as geopolitical, military but also energy-related, referring specifically to the GREGY project, the Greece – Egypt electricity interconnection, which is part of the broader European energy planning.
Athens seeks for this cooperation to acquire even greater practical content, as energy now constitutes not only an economic but also a strategic tool.
Specific projects
At the informal trilateral of Greece – Cyprus – Egypt, according to government sources, the importance of this specific cooperation framework is expected to be reaffirmed and specific projects in the fields of investment, energy and connectivity are to be discussed.
This is an effort to move the cooperation from the level of political declarations to specific projects with an economic and geopolitical footprint.
In the background of the visit there is, of course, also the new reality taking shape in Egypt-Turkey relations. Athens is closely monitoring the rapprochement between Cairo and Ankara, without however considering that this nullifies the strategic Greece-Egypt relationship. Kyriakos Mitsotakis, moreover, hastened from Thessaloniki to underline that foreign policy is far more complex than a “zero-sum” logic.
The fact that Egypt is developing relations with other regional powers as well does not mean, according to the Greek approach, that the strategic character of relations with Greece is changing.
It was precisely this position that Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis also expressed from Thessaloniki, underlining that strategic relations can exist with few countries and describing the Greece – Egypt relationship as “deep-rooted and strategic”.
A distinct place in the talks is also expected to be held by the issue of the Monastery of Saint Catherine in Sinai. Mr. Gerapetritis is conveying that Greece and Egypt are cooperating on the issue and that there has been a preliminary understanding, while the process is now also linked to the decisions of the monastic community.
Athens has made it clear that Saint Catherine cannot be treated as a simple archaeological monument, but requires a special regulatory regime that recognizes its historical and religious significance.