Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi held a session of talks Wednesday with Cypriot Defense Minister, Christoforos Fokaides in Cairo on the means to boost bilateral cooperation and further coordinate on regional and global issues of joint concern. The talks are due to discuss cooperation to combat terrorism and extremism as a result of crises in the region, which require concerted international efforts to reach compromises, as well as cooperation in the fight against illegal immigration and its consequences. The talks will also tackle diplomatic coordination between the two countries at the regional and international levels. Initiatives to enhance cooperation and partnership in the fields of energy, economy, tourism, culture and maritime transport, will be discussed during the talks, sources said. Both sides will review issues related to maritime security and crisis management as well as the latest developments related to the Cyprus problem. Earlier on Wednesday, Fokaides met with Egyptian Defense Minister General Sedky Sobhi where both sides discussed means to push forward military cooperation. Cypriot ambassador to Cairo, Kharris Moritzes, said that mechanisms for achieving bilateral cooperation between Cyprus and Egypt are currently being applied at all levels "based on both sides' political will to achieve common goals". Cooperation between Cairo and Nicosia has witnessed great progress since President Sisi came to power in 2014. A number of Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) and agreements on trade cooperation and gas exploration in the Mediterranean have been signed.
