Egypt, Greece, and Cyprus Leaders Convene in Cairo to Bolster Energy and Security Cooperation

Egypt hosted the leaders of Greece and Cyprus for a tripartite summit on Tuesday, aiming to bolster energy cooperation and regional security amid ongoing tensions in the eastern Mediterranean.

What happened: Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi hosted separate bilateral meetings with Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in Cairo, culminating in a joint press conference. According to the state-owned news outlet Al-Ahram, President Sisi and President Christodoulides explored avenues to enhance collaboration across trade, investment, energy, tourism, and transportation sectors.

President Sisi and Prime Minister Mitsotakis similarly focused on strengthening ties in tourism, transportation, trade, investment, and migration management, alongside key electricity interconnection initiatives. Al-Ahram reported that Sisi welcomed the expansion of security coordination among the three nations.

“The trilateral partnership between Egypt, Cyprus, and Greece encompasses robust security and military coordination designed to address regional challenges, chief among them terrorism, organized crime, and illegal migration,” Sisi stated during the joint press conference.

The summit was conducted under the Egypt-Greece-Cyprus Trilateral Cooperation Mechanism, marking the third high-level meeting of its kind, following the previous summit held in Cairo in January 2025.

Earlier in the day, President Sisi inaugurated the second-ever El Alamein International Airshow, an event attended by President Christodoulides, according to Egypt’s State Information Service.

Why it matters: Egypt is actively seeking to deepen energy partnerships with Greece, Cyprus, and other eastern Mediterranean nations to address domestic gas supply challenges. In March, Egypt and Cyprus signed a framework agreement for natural gas cooperation, followed by a joint declaration in April outlining plans to develop Cypriot gas fields utilizing Egyptian liquefaction infrastructure for domestic consumption and international export.

In 2021, Egypt and Greece signed a memorandum of understanding to establish the GREGY electricity interconnection project, designed to transmit renewable energy from Egypt to Greece. Although discussions continued as recently as June, the project is not yet operational.

Significant declines in Egypt’s domestic gas production—largely driven by natural reservoir depletion and water infiltration—have shifted the country’s energy landscape. Production at the Zohr field plummeted from 3.2 billion cubic feet per day in late 2019 to approximately 1.9 billion cubic feet per day by 2024, transitioning Egypt from a net exporter of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to a net importer.

To counter these production shortfalls and revitalize the sector, Cairo has increasingly relied on imports. President Sisi recently met with the Italian energy giant Eni to secure vital investment aimed at rebooting domestic gas production.

Israel has also emerged as a key energy supplier to Egypt, with Cairo signing a major deal worth up to $35 billion in August 2025 to import natural gas from the operator of the Leviathan field.

Know more: This tripartite summit unfolds against a backdrop of heightened tensions in the eastern Mediterranean, primarily involving Greece, Cyprus, Israel, and Turkey. In June, the Turkish Defense Ministry warned Greece and Cyprus of an “arms race” in the region, reacting to their deepening defense ties with Israel.

Adding to regional complexities, Greece signed a $3.5 billion air defense deal with Israel late last month. Meanwhile, Turkish and Greek intelligence chiefs convened in Athens recently to address bilateral tensions.

Despite deepening energy ties, Egypt has maintained a critical public stance regarding Israel’s military campaign in Gaza. During his meetings with Prime Minister Mitsotakis and President Christodoulides, Sisi advocated for a two-state solution to the conflict. Concurrently, Egypt has sought to strengthen military cooperation with Turkey, seeking to mend years of strained relations caused by Ankara’s historical support for the Muslim Brotherhood.

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