Egypt and Cyprus agreed to boost cooperation to combat illegal immigration by providing safe alternatives, labor mobility, and seasonal job opportunities for Egyptian youth.

Minister of Immigration and Egyptian Expatriates Soha Gendi, met Cypriot officials in Nicosia on the sidelines of an international conference held on Wednesday.

The meeting promoted positive cooperation to combat illegal immigration and secure safe and positive alternatives to stem their flow.

During her talks with the Cypriot side, Gendi affirmed that Egypt has taken significant strides in combating illegal migration and promoting safe immigration opportunities.

She referred to the presidential initiative “Life-Saving Boats,” which aims at spreading awareness among youths about the dangers of illegal immigration.

The presidential initiative aims to spread awareness about the dangers of illegal immigration and publicize the initiative’s activities in villages and governorates.

The Egyptian Minister also held bilateral talks on labor mobility with the Cypriot Minister of Labor, Yiannis Panayiotou, and ministry officials.

Panayiotou welcomed the strong cooperation with Egypt on labor mobility and seasonal employment, stressing his desire to benefit from the experience of the Egyptian Ministry of Immigration in communicating with expatriates and workers abroad.

Gendi added that Egypt is working on linking immigration with development efforts and communicating with immigrants.

The Egyptian Cabinet reported that the talks dealt with the current migration trends between Egypt and Cyprus and their impact on the movement of workers and immigrants.

They also addressed the need to facilitate coordination between the two countries on immigration and work, including exchanging information and experiences.

Later, the Egyptian Minister of Immigration met the Cypriot Minister of Interior, Konstantinos Ioannou.

They discussed boosting positive cooperation to combat illegal immigration and securing safe and positive alternatives to curb it.

The Cypriot minister said the visit of the Egyptian Minister represents a new stage in their bilateral relations, and aims to open broader horizons of cooperation.

During the meeting, the Egyptian minister stressed the continuous development of Egyptian-Cypriot relations and the progress witnessed by the historical ties that extended in recent years at all levels.

It included intensive consultations between officials from the two governments on issues of common interest.

The governments agreed to implement many joint projects within the framework of the tripartite cooperation mechanism that brings together Egypt, Cyprus, and Greece through the “Revive Roots” initiative, which is a model to follow in popular diplomacy and the revival of historical ties.