Greek-Egyptian diplomatic relations date back to August 1833, when the great benefactor, Mihail Tositsas, was appointed by the Greek government of the time as Greece’s first Consul to Alexandria. In 1835 the Consulate in Alexandria was upgraded to a Consulate General; five years later the Cairo Consulate General was opened and, in 1900, a Greek Embassy was established. Greece also has a Port Consular Office in Port Said. Egypt maintains an Embassy in Athens
Political Relations
Relations between the two countries go far back in time as a result of their co-existence within the same geo-strategic region and their common historical experience. The centuries-old presence of the Patriarchate of Alexandria and the Greek communities in Egypt, the significant business activities of 150 Greek enterprises in Egypt, and the complementarity of the two countries for the stability and development of the wider region render the two countries natural strategic partners.
Greece and Egypt cooperate closely in international organisations and in the framework of the Union for the Mediterranean. Bilateral relations are rapidly developing in all sectors (political, economic, defence, cultural), with frequent exchanges of high level visits, including that of the President of the Hellenic Republic to Egypt in April 2015. Both countries aim at developing their institutional cooperation even further in areas of mutual interest and benefit.
The two countries have converging positions on a number of regional issues. Greece’s firm stance in favour of a just, comprehensive and permanent solution to the Middle East problem – an issue of particular concern to Egyptian foreign policy – contributes further to maintaining the excellent political relations between the two countries.
Greece-Cyprus-Egypt Trilateral Cooperation
The Trilateral Cooperation was inaugurated at the level of Foreign Ministry Political Directors and continued with meetings, among others, of the three Foreign Ministers on the margins of the UN General Assemblies of 2013 and 2014, and subsequently in Nicosia. Besides, two Summit Meetings have taken place, the first in Cairo, on 8 November 2014 (Cairo Declaration), and the second in Nicosia, on 29 April 2015 (Nicosia Declaration). This partnership is based on the political will of the three sides to promote their cooperation through a productive and constructive dialogue with specific and tangible content. Trilateral meetings, now taking place every six months, have already institutionalised a partnership mechanism which is not directed against anyone and functions as a model for regional dialogue, contributing substantially to peace, stability and regional cooperation in the Eastern Mediterranean. Besides, the three Mediterranean countries are in very close proximity to regions of crises which affect them in a number of ways. Therefore, their cooperation offers its added value not for only to the three countries involved, but also to the EU and Euro-Mediterranean cooperation, in general.
Cultural Relations and Greek Community
The sizeable Greek community in Egypt (at its height the Greek population numbered 140,000) began to decline in the early 1950s (as a result of President Nasser’s nationalisation programme) and nowadays a few thousand Greeks remain in Egypt. The largest communities are those in Cairo and Alexandria, followed by the Greek populations of Ismailia, Port Said and Kafr El Zayiat. A large number of Greek associations and clubs, as well as schools and cultural centres, are still in place.
These communities apart, a further major focus of Greek interest is the Patriarchate of Alexandria, with activities extending across the entire African continent. The Patriarchate’s relations with the Egyptian Coptic Church and the Egyptian state are excellent. Besides, Saint Catherine’s Monastery in Sinai, a major Greek-Orthodox pilgrimage dating back to the 6th century, is also an important focus of Greece’s interest, as well as a major cultural and tourist attraction in Egypt.
Embassy in Cairo
Address : 18 Aisha El Taymouria Garden City, Cairo, 11451
Tel. : (00202) 27950443, 27955915, 27951074
Fax : 27963903
Emergency Tel: (00202) 27950443
E-mail : gremb.cai@mfa.gr
Web Site : www.mfa.gr/egypt
Head of Mission : Christodoulos Lazaris
Consulate General in Cairo
Address : 14, Rue Emad El Din, Cairo
Tel. : (00202) 25741085, 25741140, 25791429
Fax : 25753962
Tel for incoming calls: 002022-5791429
Emergency Tel: (002010) 8478600
E-mail : grgencon.cai@mfa.gr
Consul General : Lambrini Komini, First Counsellor
Commercial Section in Cairo
Address : 18 Aisha El Taymouria Garden City, Cairo
Tel. : (00202) 7948482, 7952036
Fax : 7940684
E-mail : ecocom@hellas.org.eg
Head: Athanassios Makrandreou
Consulate General in Alexandria
Address : 63, Rue Alexandre Le Grand, Shatby, Alexandria
Tel. : (00203) 4878454, 4878455, 4802088, 4802099
Fax : (00203) 4865896
Emergency phone: (00201) 23811921 / (00201) 23670880
E-mail : grgencon.ale@mfa.gr
Consul General : Emmanouil Kakavelakis
Embassy of Egypt in Greece
3 Vas. Sofias Avenue
106 71 Athens
Tel +30 2103618612-3- 2103621905
Fax:+30 2103603538
Visa: 09:00-12:00
e-mail: emb.egypt@yahoo.gr
