According to an announcement by the Greek Defence Ministry on Tuesday, Defence Minister D. Avramopoulos has concluded a visit to Egypt, where he held talks with his Egyptian counterpart General Sedki Sobhy in Cairo.

During the visit, Avramopoulos was also received by Egyptian President Adly Mansour and presidential candidate General Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, a former commander-in-chief of the Egyptian Armed Forces that has also served as defence minister and deputy prime minister.

In talks with Avramopoulos, Egyptian officials affirmed their intention to proceed toward an Egyptian state that was open to the world and with respect for the rule of law. They also discussed issues of terrorism and illegal migration that created instability in the region.
Mr. Avramopoulos again expressed Greece’s support for Egypt and the will of its people and relayed the greetings of Greek President Karolos Papoulias and Prime Minister Antonis Samaras.
The minister also attended a dinner given in his honour by the Greek community in Cairo.
In statements after meeting Mansour, the Greek minister stressed that Greece, as a member of NATO and the European Union, exercised policies promoting peace and was a powerful factor for stability and security in the region of southeastern Europe and the eastern Mediterranean.

After completing the visit, Mr. Avramopoulos said that his brief trip to Cairo had been “important and useful for our strategic interests in the region” and welcomed the holding of presidential elections in the country in May, saying they would contribute decisively to the country’s political stabilisation with the free will of the Egyptian people for the benefit of peace, security and prosperity in the region.

The Greek minister was accompanied by chief of the Navy General Staff, Vice Admiral Evangelos Apostolakis.