JOURNALIST: Mr. Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, what is the reason for your upcoming visit to Cairo this Thursday, 5 September?
E. VENIZELOS: It was with great pleasure that I accepted the invitation of Foreign Minister Nabil Fahmy to visit Egypt, because I believe in the need to strengthen and deepen the traditionally good bilateral political and economic relations between Greece and Egypt. There is much that links us with Egypt: the Greek Community of Egypt, the Patriarchate of Alexandria, our age-old ties of friendship and our common will for cooperation and peace in the Mediterranean. Greece is thus interested in the stability of Egypt, with which it wants always to maintain open lines of communication. The cultivation of good bilateral relations is a shared desire of our peoples and contributes to peace, regional cooperation and, therefore, stability in the Mediterranean.
JOURNALIST: The recent political developments are critical for Egypt, but also for the Greeks of Cairo, who have been here for over a century and a half. In the new environment – and given the economic crisis that is impacting both countries – how can Greece “armour” the Greek Community of Cairo and in general the last remaining Greeks living in Egypt?
E. VENIZELOS: Our longstanding good relations with Egypt are the best defence of the country’s Hellenism, which is an important bridge between our peoples. In all my meetings with the Egyptian leadership, the protection and prosperity of the Greeks of Egypt is one of the main topics for discussion and action, and I must stress that we have full confidence in the authorities of our friend Egypt: that they will, as always, do the best in this regard.
And in this spirit I have instructed our Embassy and Consular Missions in Egypt to be unremitting in attending to the safety of the Greek community, to maintain ongoing contact with the Patriarchate and the Greek community, and to provide consular assistance to any Greek who needs it. I remind you that we have not mourned the loss of a single member of the Greek Community of Egypt during the past three years of turmoil.
Finally, I will not agree with the phrase “the last remaining Greeks.” The historical Greek Communities of Egypt have in recent years shown excellent achievements and notable activity. What’s more, the rapid strengthening of our economic presence in Egypt has created an increasing flow of arrivals of young, highly trained business personnel and their families.
JOURNALIST: One sector that has been hit hard by the economic crisis is the historic schools of Egypt in Cairo and Alexandria. What does the state see for the future of these schools, given the reduction in staff?
E. VENIZELOS: The problem has been noted in a timely manner by our Consular Missions in Egypt, and it is being examined by the Education Ministry, in a positive spirit, given the current state of affairs. Also being considered are some very interesting proposals from our Communities in Cairo and Alexandria; proposals that could help significantly toward resolving the issue. But I assure you that we are determined to help the historic schools of Egyptian Hellenism.
JOURNALIST: There have recently been attacks on Christian churches in Egypt – luckily not Greek churches. What is your stance on this matter?
E. VENIZELOS: We are very concerned at the attacks on Christians in the wider Middle East region, and more specifically in Egypt, where attacks were carried out on Coptic churches. However, as you rightly noted, the attacks in Egypt did not target the Greek Orthodox, who have always lived together as brothers with all the Egyptians, regardless of faith. In any case, we are in ongoing contact with the Patriarchate and the Egyptian authorities so that any incident or misunderstanding that might occur can be handled.
JOURNALIST: The presence of Greek enterprises in Egypt has grown quite strong in recent years. Is there potential for further cooperation between the two countries in this sector, as well as for support for the existing companies?
E. VENIZELOS: We are very satisfied that the Greek economic presence in Egypt grown rapidly in recent years. It should be noted that Greek investments in Egypt reached $3 billion, and exports increased by 164%. Greece is now the fifth largest European investor in the country, and Greek businesses provide work for 125,000 Egyptian families, remaining in Egypt when many others have left the country. I was happy to be informed that there is excellent cooperation with the Egyptian private sector, and Greece is one of the few countries that has set up a Business Council with Egypt. And there is obviously great potential for further development of bilateral trade, investment and economic cooperation.
JOURNALIST: What role can the Greek community of Cairo play in perpetuating the historical ties between the two countries?
E. VENIZELOS: The Greek community in Cairo, like the Greek community in Alexandria, is our face in Egypt, the bridge between us and our friends the Egyptian people, and the best guarantee of the enhancement and deepening of the close ties between the two peoples.
September 3, 2013