Ashraf AboArafe
Today, March 30, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Sameh Shoukry, received the ambassadors of the European Union in the Middle East and North Africa region and officials in charge of the Middle East and North Africa files in the European Union’s external service. This comes within the framework of their presence in Cairo to hold their annual conference.
Ambassador Ahmed Abu Zeid, the official spokesman and director of the Public Diplomacy Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stated that the meeting came within the framework of the Minister of Foreign Affairs’ keenness to consult with European partners on various issues in the region and to review Egypt’s vision towards them, including an explanation of the efforts Egypt is making to strengthen stability and support efforts to achieve peace and settle Middle East crises, in addition to explaining the economic and social developments in Egypt.
The Foreign Ministry Spokesman stated that Minister Shoukry affirmed during the meeting the multi-faceted historical relations that link Egypt with the European Union, which are intertwined in all fields of cooperation. The meeting also dealt with ways to advance and develop aspects of relations between Egypt and the European Union in various fields, whether through bilateral frameworks or existing coordination and cooperation between Egypt and various European groupings such as the Union for the Mediterranean and the Anna Lindh Foundation for Dialogue between Cultures, or within the framework of regular consultations that it conducts. Egypt with the European groupings.
Ambassador Abu Zeid added that the meeting witnessed an exchange of views and assessments on a number of regional and international issues of concern, especially the Ukrainian-Russian crisis and the subsequent geopolitical changes that resulted in economic impacts that greatly affected the countries and peoples of the region, in addition to the situation in the occupied Palestinian territories. Against the background of the recent escalation, the situation in Libya and ways to confront the threat of illegal immigration across the Mediterranean, as well as the recent political changes in the region. The Minister of Foreign Affairs was keen to review the visions and pillars of the Egyptian position on these various issues, in addition to the developments of the Renaissance Dam file and the constants of the Egyptian position towards it.
The Spokesman concluded his statements that the meeting also witnessed a discussion of cooperation developments in a number of areas of cooperation and existing activities in the field of trade and investment, energy security, food security, climate change and green transition, combating terrorism, education and scientific research, and addressing the phenomenon of illegal immigration. Aspects of cooperation in the field of maritime security and cybersecurity, in addition to reviewing the priorities of cooperation between the two sides during the coming period.
