Greece, Cyprus, and Egypt reaffirm strategic cooperation in El Alamein

On September 8, 2026, the leaders of Greece, Cyprus, and Egypt—Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, President Nikos Christodoulides, and President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi—met in El Alamein to hold a trilateral summit. The meeting focused on strengthening regional stability and institutionalizing their cooperation, with reports suggesting the creation of a permanent secretariat based in Cyprus and a potential meeting of the three nations' defense ministers in Cairo in the coming weeks.

The summit comes amidst regional shifts following the "Mecca Agreement" between Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan. Turkish media and political commentators, including former diplomat Namik Tan, have viewed the meeting as a significant geopolitical response, noting that the trilateral declaration emphasizes adherence to international law and the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) regarding maritime boundaries. This stance is interpreted as a direct response to Turkish efforts to establish alternative regional alliances.

While Ankara had previously sought to include Egypt in its own security pact, the failure of those efforts has reinforced the trilateral alliance between Athens, Nicosia, and Cairo. Officials from both Greece and Cyprus stressed that their relationship with Egypt remains a strategic pillar of regional security, resistant to external pressures. The summit concluded with a commitment to continue existing infrastructure projects and coordinate on maritime demarcation in compliance with established international principles.