Egypt's Foreign Minister Rejects Israeli Control Over Rafah Crossing

On Monday, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry reaffirmed Egypt's stance against Israeli control over the Rafah border crossing from the Palestinian side. The announcement came during Shoukry's visit to Athens, where he met with Greek Foreign Minister Georgios Gerapetritis at the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Ahmed Abu Zeid, the official spokesperson and Director of the Public Diplomacy Department at the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, elaborated on the meeting. He stated that the discussions included a closed bilateral session between the two ministers, followed by expanded talks with the Egyptian and Greek delegations. These talks covered various aspects of bilateral relations and intensive consultations on regional developments.

Ambassador Abu Zeid highlighted that the visit reflects the commitment of both nations to strengthening their historically deep friendship, which is currently experiencing a qualitative shift toward a strategic partnership.

The spokesperson further emphasized the mutual pride in the depth of historical relations and ongoing convergence between Egypt and Greece on multiple fronts. Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to working together to enhance these relations across all fields, building on the joint declaration establishing the High-Level Cooperation Council, which was signed by the Egyptian President and the Greek Prime Minister during the latter’s visit to Cairo last March. They also stressed the importance of operationalizing this council and holding its inaugural session as soon as possible.

Discussions on bilateral cooperation focused heavily on economic collaboration. 

Both ministers also discussed joint energy cooperation programs, recognizing it as a priority area for both nations. They agreed on the importance of accelerating the implementation of the "GREGY" electrical interconnection project between Egypt and Greece. This project will allow the export of electricity generated from new and renewable energy sources from Egypt to Europe via Greece for the first time, marking an unprecedented milestone that will enable Egypt to contribute to enhancing Europe's energy security.