Egypt has invited Cypriot businesses to bid for some of the 6 billion euros in large construction projects currently underway, Communications, Works and Transport Minister Marios Demetriades and his Egyptian counterpart Hany Dahy said on Thursday as reported by Cyprus News Agency. The two men headed a meeting of delegations from the two countries in the context of Dahy's visit in Nicosia and discussed ways of cooperation, including the possibility of a ferry connection, cooperation on cruises, the employment of Egyptian personnel in ships under Cypriot management and the use of Cyprus as a link between Egypt and the EU. Dahy said there were a number of ongoing projects in Egypt that Cypriot businesses had been invited to bid for. "We have discussed the current transportation projects and presented them to our friends in Cyprus," he said. The two men discussed ways of cooperating by making use of Cyprus' and Egypt's geographic locations especially with regard to ports, and the current expansion of the Suez Canal. They also spoke of the possibility for the employment of Egyptian maritime graduates and of establishing a branch of the Arab Academy of Science Technology and Maritime Education in Cyprus. Another item on the agenda according to Demetriades was "the possibility of doing together some EU projects and getting funding from the EU". Demetriades said Cypriot businesses had been invited to bid for huge projects such as the Suez Canal, and motorways of 3,200 km-long. Source: ANSAmed
