On Wednesday, Egyptian President, Abdel Fattah El-Sisi received his Cypriot counterpart, Nikos Christodoulides at the Ittihadiya Palace in Cairo.
El-Sisi said in a joint press conference after the meeting that they “agreed on the importance of holding elections in Libya as soon as possible.”
“We agreed on the significance of holding elections in Libya at the earliest time. We also emphasized the importance of the departure of all foreign forces and mercenaries from Libyan territory, in consistence with Libya’s restoration of sovereignty, territorial integrity, and stability,” El-Sisi said.
The Egyptian President noted that the meeting was “a favourable opportunity to confirm our appreciation for the tripartite partnership between Egypt, Cyprus, and Greece.”
Last month, Turkish Presidential Spokesman, Ibrahim Kalin discussed the regional benefits of the normalization of Turkish-Egyptian relations.
According to the TurkPress newspaper, Kalin said that the recent visit by Turkish Foreign Minister, Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu to Egypt was “important within the framework of the normalization of relations between the two sides.”
He added that Çavuşoğlu discussed, during his meeting with his Egyptian counterpart, Sameh Shoukry, “bilateral relations, regional files, and the current situation in the eastern Mediterranean. We believe that the improvement of relations between Turkey and Egypt has many benefits, not only for both countries, but also for Libya, Palestine, and the whole region.”
Cairo has expressed its regret over the “UN Security Council’s support of initiatives aiming at undermining the role of legitimate Libyan institutions.” In press statements to the Middle East News Agency (MENA), in March, the Spokesman for the Egyptian Foreign Ministry, Ahmed Abu Zeid described the Security Council’s move as “a clear violation of the role of the legitimate and elected Libyan institutions.”