Polis Chrysochous of Pafos district and the city of Dahab of Egypt signed a memorandum of cooperation in Chrysochous on Wednesday to enhance relations between the two regions. During the ceremony, Deputy Minister of Tourism, Kostas Koumis, conveyed greetings from the President of the Republic, Nikos Christodoulides and emphasised that Christodoulides, both in his current role as President and his previous position as Minister of Foreign Affairs, attaches special importance and value to the Cyprus-Egypt relations. Koumis noted that Egypt and Cyprus have had close trade relations since ancient times. He recalled that in 2004, a memorandum of cooperation was signed between the Cyprus Tourism Organisation and the corresponding organisation in Egypt, a memorandum that led to the signing of several other separate agreements. He highlighted that what is most important is to give value to these memoranda and agreements through our daily lives and through economic channels, such as trade and tourism. Koumis said they exchanged views with the Governor of South Sinai, Lieutenant General Khaled Fouda as well as entrepreneurs where they they identified common characteristics between Polis Chrysochous and the South Sinai region, adding that this means that the two geographic areas can develop close economic relations with a focus on tourism. During this meeting, it was noted that Cyprus is a foreign investment-friendly country, and there are Cypriot entrepreneurs who have invested in Egypt, as well as Egyptian entrepreneurs who have invested in significant projects in Cyprus. He emphasized that the Ministry of Tourism will support every effort of collaboration between the two geographic regions, adding they have proposed the creation of a working group between Cyprus and the Governor of South Sinai. Speaking through an interpreter, Governor of South Sinai, Lieutenant General Khaled Fouda, referred to the brotherly relations between Cyprus and Egypt. “Our goal,” he emphasised, “is to open new horizons between the two countries’. Fouda stated that the relations between the two countries are close in intercultural, social, tourist, and cultural aspects. He also expressed a desire to strengthen the relations between the two regions.
Source: Cyprus News Agency