The Minister of Immigration and Asylum, Dimitris Kairides, met today with the ambassador of Egypt in Greece, Omar Amer Youssef.

Both agreed that the relations between the two countries are excellent and that the close Greek-Egyptian friendship is an important pillar of peace in the Eastern Mediterranean. In this context, they examined the latest developments in immigration, with the aim of jointly finding the best solutions.

Egypt currently hosts 9 million refugees from all over Sub-Saharan Africa and parts of the Middle East, and makes a decisive contribution to combating illegal trafficking and managing migratory pressure towards Europe.

Mr. Kairides, after recognizing the extremely constructive role of Egypt, thanked the ambassador for the cooperation and made it clear that Greece claims the widest possible European support for Egypt.

At the meeting, it was agreed to intensify the talks between the two sides to jointly deal with illegal immigration and the proper implementation of the bilateral agreement between Greece and Egypt, signed in 2022.