Fruitful talks

Efforts to boost economic relations with both Greece and Russia were underway this week with the signing of several bi-lateral agreements. Reem Nafie reports

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Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis was in Cairo this week; high on his agenda were economic talks with Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif. Following their extended meeting on Saturday, both prime ministers announced the signing of an agreement to avoid double taxation of each other's nationals. They also signed an accord encouraging the transfer of technology and scientific research.

In a press conference following the meeting, Nazif told reporters that Egypt and Greece have also agreed on establishing a tourism cooperation agreement. The Greeks expressed their willingness to invest in several hotel and resort projects on the Northern Egyptian coast, which should increase the number of Greek and European tourists in Egypt. Official figures indicate that between 80,000 and 100,000 Greeks visit Egypt annually.

Karamanlis's visit, Nazif said, "was a chance to expand and develop relations between Egypt and Greece, especially that both our countries are considered the world's oldest civilisations." Although not as large as it used to be, Egypt's ethnic Greek community numbers around 3,000, most of whom live in the Mediterranean coastal city of Alexandria.

The two countries also signed an energy agreement allowing for Egypt to provide Greece with petrol and natural gas. This will take place via an extension of the Egyptian gas pipeline from Jordan to Greece via Turkey.

On Sunday, Karamanlis also met President Hosni Mubarak. These talks, however, were more focussed on political issues of import to both countries, such as the situations in Iraq and Palestine.

The Greek premier's Egypt trip represents the first such visit in 12 years, ever since Prime Minister Constantine Mitsotakis's visited in October 1992.

Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov's arrival in Cairo on Monday was another landmark. Fradkov is the highest-ranking Russian official to visit Egypt in 34 years. During his two-day stay, Fradkov met Mubarak and Nazif to sign agreements between both governments on cooperation in the peaceful use of atomic energy. Preliminary talks on building a training reactor in Egypt, as well as a nuclear power plant whose energy will be used for desalinating water, also took place.

The two sides also signed a cooperative agreement on veterinary medicine, as well as an agriculture pact allowing for the two countries' agriculture ministries to cooperate in the quarantine and protection of plants.

A number of agreements encouraging trade, investment, and economic and scientific-technical cooperation, as well as avoiding double taxation, was also signed.