ATHENS: Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak met his Greek counterpart Carolos Papoulias Thursday for talks that looked at expanding economic cooperation between the two countries, the Greek government said.
The 82-year-old Egyptian leader was in Greece on the way home from a summit in Italy, his first trip abroad since undergoing surgery in March.
"Greek-Egyptian relations are very good and I think that we can expand our cooperation in the economic sector," Papoulias said in a statement issued after the meeting.
Greek investments in Egypt stood at around $1 billion dollars (€810 million), he said.
Mubarak hailed long-standing cooperation between the countries and noted the significant Greek community in Egypt’s northern port city of Alexandria, the statement said.
The Egyptian president was due to meet Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou at the international airport in Athens before returning home.
Papandreou was in Beirut earlier Thursday where he urged Arab nations to invest in his cash-strapped country.
