Greek FM in Egypt hours after Sisi-Erdogan historic handshake

The Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias is due to arrive in Egypt today to meet his Egyptian counterpart, Sameh Shoukry, Egyptian media outlets reported.

According to the reports, the diplomats will discuss bilateral relations as well as regional and international developments.

The meeting will be followed by the signing of a memorandum of understanding and a joint press conference.

The upcoming Greek-Egyptian meeting in Cairo comes hours after the “historic” handshake between Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi and his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, during the opening ceremony of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

After that handshake, Erdogan told reporters that the encounter was “a first step towards further normalisation between Turkiye and Egypt,” implying that other moves are in the pipeline.

The Turkish president added that he wanted meetings with Egyptian officials to be at a higher level, in the context of normalising relations.

READ: Despite tension, there are positive moves in Greece-Turkiye ties

Ankara’s ties with Cairo have been strained since Al-Sisi, then Egypt’s army chief, led the 2013 military coup which ousted Mohamed Morsi from power.

The Greek deputy foreign minister has recently praised the growing relations between Egypt, Greece and Cyprus, saying the three countries now represent soft powers working to enhance cooperation in the Eastern Mediterranean region.

The Greek foreign minister’s visit also comes after the maritime and gas deals that Turkiye signed with one of Libya’s rival administrations.