President of Egypt Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has arrived in Cyprus on Monday paying his first official visit to the island ahead of a trilateral meeting among Cyprus, Greece and Egypt on Tuesday.

In the meeting which will take place on Tuesday including Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras will be discussed all issues of interest particularly the collaboration in the economy and energy sectors as President of Cyprus Nicos Anastasiades said.

Asked about Cypriot initiatives, he responded that the Republic of Cyprus is an established state which takes initiatives to empower its international image and influence.

Nicosia, the president said, has developed excellent relations not only with its neighbours but also with all states in the region, the countries of the Arab Gulf and the five permanent member states of the UN Security Council.

President of Egypt will have talks today with President Nicos Anastasiades and a meeting with House President Demetris Syllouris. After their talks, Anastasiades and Sisi will bestow medals on each other and will make statements to the media.

In the context of Sisi’s visit, Cyprus and Egypt will sign Memoranda of Understanding. Sisi will also attend a Cyprus-Egypt Business Forum and Anastasiades will host a dinner on Monday night in his honour.

During the visit, Anastasiades is to return to Sisi an ancient Egyptian artifact dated to the 13th century which had been illicitly exported from Egypt after illegal excavations at a burial site there. Egypt had filed a formal request for the artifact’s repatriation, and the government decided it should be delivered to the Egyptian president by Anastasiades during his visit to Cyprus.

In a message on Twitter, Anastasiades said the first official visit of a President of Egypt is “tangible proof of our determination to upgrade and deepen even further our relations”.

Source: thegreekobserver.com