Cyprus, Greece and Egypt reinforced their regional cooperation at a foreign ministers’ meeting in Cairo on Sunday, signalling that warming Turkish-Egyptian relations won’t weaken their trilateral partnership.
The timing carried weight. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is scheduled to visit Egypt on 4 February as Ankara works to rebuild ties with Cairo. The trilateral meeting appeared designed to head off any suggestion that Egypt might shift away from its Cyprus and Greece partnerships.
Egypt’s current government attaches particular importance to its cooperation axis with Cyprus and Greece, a commitment that Turkish-Egyptian contacts won’t alter, according to officials.
Cypriot Foreign Minister Konstantinos Kombos and his Greek counterpart Giorgos Gerapetritis both stressed the trilateral’s significance for the region following Sunday’s talks with Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty.
Kombos highlighted Cyprus’s EU Presidency and the importance given to the region during a period when several fronts remain open. The ministers discussed bilateral relations and the full spectrum of developments since last year’s summit, which strengthened institutional cooperation between the three countries.
The focus now shifts to ensuring full implementation of existing agreements whilst identifying new cooperation areas, Kombos said. Discussions centred on practical measures for the coming period and establishing a monitoring mechanism for developments.
The trilateral rests on solid foundations, Kombos noted—commitment to public international law and its manifestations, shared history, and geographical proximity. These principles matter especially during turbulent periods like the present.
The ministers discussed regional issues including Syria, Sudan, Yemen, Libya, Gaza and Iran. All these crises are unfolding in the immediate neighbourhood, Kombos said, making coordination and cooperation on how to address them critically important both bilaterally and in international forums.
Kombos said Cyprus’s EU Presidency priority is connecting the EU with this part of the world. Regarding Egypt specifically, Cyprus wants to build on the positive results from the recent EU-Egypt Summit and ensure the new Mediterranean Pact includes Egypt in a way that truly reflects its importance and value to the European Union.
Egypt has functioned as a security pillar for the EU, not only on migration issues, Kombos said. Cyprus is a strong supporter of Egypt in Brussels for the fair support Egypt deserves for all the work it has done for the EU and the wider region.
The relationship between the three countries rests on predictability, reliability and consistency, Kombos said. “These are particularly rare virtues, valuable especially in periods where alliances and positions shift. On these fundamental principles we have built our enduring partnership and on these we continue to move forward,” he said.
Kombos noted this was his first bilateral visit to Cairo in 2026. He thanked Abdelatty for the warm welcome and hospitality.
Gerapetritis said the Greece-Cyprus-Egypt trilateral cooperation has proven its strength and resilience since the inaugural Cairo summit in 2014. It has become a model for similar cooperative initiatives in the region, he said.
The cooperation is deeply rooted in the history of the neighbouring countries, actively affects the present and holds particular promise for the future, Gerapetritis said. A critical factor in the trilateral’s success is the shared understanding among the three countries of regional and international relations.
Gerapetritis confirmed the commitment to international law, including the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, principles enshrined in the UN Charter, and UN Security Council resolutions.
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