The President of the Hellenic Parliament, Nikitas Kaklamanis, met today with the Arab Republic of Egypt, Omar Amer Youssef.

According to a statement, the Speaker of the House pointed out that “Egypt is a trusted partner for the European Union and Greece and plays an important geostrategic role in the Mediterranean, the Near East and Africa.” “I would like to emphasize,” Mr Kaklamanis continued, “our strong links and our upgraded relations with Egypt through political and economic initiatives.” “It is of the utmost importance to maintain the strong partnership and cooperation on immigration, given the current geopolitical developments in our wider region,” he added.

Subsequently, the Speaker of the House expressed his concern about the regime of the Holy Monastery of Mount Sinai and the respect we must show to the oldest Christian monastery, referring to the letter he sent to his Egyptian counterpart.

For his part, the Ambassador of the Arab Republic of Egypt assured Mr Kaklamanis that the Monastery of St. Catherine would continue to operate with the existing regime, just as the Egyptian Foreign Minister had also assured his Greek counterpart. He also expressed his conviction that the life of the monks would not be disturbed, nor the religious and worship of the monastery, the protection of which will be intact.

He then expressed the desire to strengthen the relationships of the two parliaments, which can be achieved by activating each other friendship groups.

The ambassador of the Arab Republic of Egypt forwarded the invitation of the President of the Egyptian Parliament for an official visit to Cairo, which Mr Kaklamanis accepted. The details of this visit will be determined by the diplomatic route.

Finally, Mr Omar Amer Youssef emphasized that Egypt’s efforts have led to a reduction in migratory flows from its coasts and that his country would make every effort to normalize the immigration issue. In addition, it has called for Greece’s support within the European Union for the problem that has arisen in terms of illegal immigration and its consequences in its country.

The meeting was also attended by the diplomatic adviser of the Speaker of Parliament, Ambassador Konstantinos Economidis.