Author: Athanasios Koutoupas

  • 3rd Egyptian, Cypriot, Greek Summit to Be Held in Athens in Dec.

    3rd Egyptian, Cypriot, Greek Summit to Be Held in Athens in Dec.

    Γενικά νέαThe Third Egyptian-Cypriot-Greek Summit will be held in Athens next month, a senior Cypriot official said. During a meeting with an Egyptian press team on Wednesday, 18/11/2015 Ambassador Leonidas Pantelides, the Director of the Middle East and North Africa Department, said the first summit was held in Cairo and the second in Nicosia.

    He lauded the depth of Cypriot-Egyptian ties which he described as “excellent”, especially at the political and economic levels. Pantelides said Egypt and Cyprus are two “neighboring and friendly states.” Cyprus highly appreciates the role played by Egypt in the region, especially in backing the peace process. Pantelides added that without Egypt’s support for the Middle East peace process, there would be no Palestinian-Israeli negotiation. He noted that his country is coordinating efforts with Egypt concerning Middle East issues of mutual concern, underlining the importance of backing a political solution in Syria.

    The ambassador said Cyprus backs the Egyptian authority under Abdel Fattah El Sisi. He noted that Cyprus works on encouraging more Egypt-EU dialogue. Pantelides underlined that the dialogue between the EU and Egypt is extremely important. He stressed that Egypt’s stability is very important, noting that all countries must have realized this in the aftermath of terror attacks worldwide. Pantelides noted that Egypt and Cyprus cooperate in the field of combating terror which became an international phenomenon. Meanwhile, he called for an Egyptian-Cypriot-Greek cooperation in the tourism domain, including organizing a tourist package for the three states.

    (http://allafrica.com)

  • Egypt’s Pyramids Light Up With Flags of France, Lebanon and Russia

    Egypt’s Pyramids Light Up With Flags of France, Lebanon and Russia

    ΑίγυπτοςAs monuments across the globe changed their colors to red, white, and blue to mourn those killed in the deadly Paris attacks, Egypt’s Pyramids were lit up with the flags of France, Lebanon and Russia. “La solidarite avec la France [solidarity with France],” read big white text that was illuminated on the Pyramids with the flags of Egypt and the three countries. White text also appeared to show solidarity for Lebanon and for Russia. The lighting then changed to highlight each of the countries, with a message written in their native language that translates to “We stand with the people of Lebanon” and “We stand with the people of Russia.” In the shadows of the Pyramids, lit up by the moon and the sound and light show, people held candles in memories of those killed in the past month.

    (http://egyptianstreets.com)

  • 22 ancient shipwrecks discovered around one Greek island chain of Fourni

    22 ancient shipwrecks discovered around one Greek island chain of Fourni

    Γενικά νέαMarine archaeologists have made a “once in a lifetime discovery” after finding 22 ancient shipwrecks near the same Greek archipelago. The Greek and British expedition crew uncovered the wrecks, which date back as far as 700BC, around the archipelago of Fourni, which is in the middle of an ancient trade route between Greece, Egypt and Cyprus. Archeologists now believe there could be up to 40 shipwrecks in an area of just 17 square miles.

    The Greek director of the expedition, George Koutsouflakis said: “In a typical survey we locate four or five shipwrecks per season in the best cases. “We expected a successful season, but no one was prepared for this. Shipwrecks were found literally everywhere.” The majority of the wrecks date from between 700BC to 600AD but one was found to have sunk in the 16th century. Fourni is a collection of 13 islands between the islands of Samos and Icaria and was an important staging post in the long distance trading routes between the Black Sea, the Aegean Sea, Cyprus, the Levant – roughly comprised of modern day Lebanon, Israel and Jordan – and Egypt.

    It is the first time the seabed around the islands has been surveyed in the expedition, which was paid for British archaeological charity the Hope Frost Foundation. The discovery now makes up 12 per cent of the known shipwrecks found in Greece and the expedition’s British director Peter Campbell believes it is unlikely to be repeated. He told the Washington Post: “I don’t think I’ll ever get the chance again to come upon 22 shipwrecks in a single season. “It’s really a once in a lifetime discovery.

    (http://www.independent.co.uk)

  • Egyptian President in a ‘Surprise Visit’ to Alexandria

    Egyptian President in a ‘Surprise Visit’ to Alexandria

    ΣΙΣΙEgyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi made a “surprise visit” to Alexandria on Sunday to personally address and follow up on the coastal city’s sewage problems, reported state-run news agency MENA.

    Twice in less than a month, the failure of the city’s sewage system to properly drain the intense rain resulted in the flooding of the city and its complete paralysis.

    Following his inspection visit to the sewage treatment plant which serves east and the center of Alexandria, Sisi issued an order to upgrade the city’s sewage system within 10 days under military supervision, reported Youm7.

    Supplying for the urgent upgrade, the Egyptian president commanded the allocation of EGP 1 billion (approx. $US 124.6 million) from the Tahya Masr (Long Live Egypt) fund to ensure the sewage system upgrade is ready within the designated time frame.

    In addition, Sisi sent out his apologies to the farmers whose lands have been flooded, vowing to compensate them for their loss and the damage of their properties.

    On October 25, the streets of the coastal city were drastically flooded after a night of heavy rain and hail. Many citizens suffered grave damage to the their personal properties, from homes to shops and cars. In addition, seven Egyptians were reported dead due to electric shock.

    Given the recurrence of the crisis over the years, residents of the city expressed their utter outrage at the former governor of Alexandria Hani el-Messiry for failing to efficiently prepare the city for the foreseeable events. Shortly afterwards, el-Messiry resigned from his position, currently leaving Alexandria without a governor.

    The crisis was again repeated on November 4 after an intense night of thunderstorms, which left the entire city in complete paralysis.

    http://egyptianstreets.com