BRUSSELS — Arriving at the EU Foreign Affairs Council (FAC) on Monday, Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias said that there had been a broad discussion on issues concerning the region around Egypt during an earlier informal working breakfast attended by European Union foreign ministers and their Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry.

He said that Cypriot Foreign Minister Nikos Christodoulides, who had organised the meeting, is expected to brief his counterparts on the level of Turkish provocations and developments concerning the Cyprus issue in general.

"We have an interesting Council today. To begin with, already this morning there has been a working breakfast with the Egyptian minister, Sameh Shoukry and a broad discussion on issues of that region. There is the lunch with Yair Lapid, the new foreign minister of Israel. And also, the foreign minister of Cyprus, Nikos Christodoulides, will brief us on the level of Turkish provocations and what is happening generally as regards the Cyprus issue. There are also other interesting issues, such as Afghanistan, and I will also brief the meeting on my contacts with the foreign minister of Niger and the problems that terrorism creates in sub-Saharan Africa," he said.

Asked what issues were discussed with Shoukry, Dendias replied: "I have to say everything. Egypt is a country of fundamental importance for the region, so it touched on the Middle East, the Eastern Mediterranean, energy, Ethiopia, the Renaissance Dam, Libya, Syria – every issue was included."

(ANA/ E. Zarkadoula)