Ashraf AboArafe
Mr Ambassador Ahmed Abu Zeid, the official spokesman and Director of the Public Diplomacy Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (FA), stated that Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry began his current visit to Ljubljana by holding discussions with the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of Slovenia, Tanja Vajon, which was followed by the work of the second round of the Joint Committee for Economic Cooperation (JCEC). Between Egypt and Slovenia at the level of foreign ministers, at the end of which the two ministers signed the protocol for the session of the joint committee.
During his meeting with his Slovenian counterpart, Minister Shukri praised the distinguished bilateral relations, stressing the Egyptian side’s desire to develop them, especially since Egypt is the first Arab and African country to recognize Slovenia following its independence, and Egypt remains the only Arab and African country to have resident representation in Ljubljana since 2007. Minister Shukri praised the Egyptian-Slovenian cooperation in the field of exchanging nominations in various international organizations, expressing our aspiration for Slovenia to continue supporting Egyptian positions within the European Union, explaining that Egypt will remain the main gateway for Slovenia to Africa, in light of its leadership on the continent level and its membership in many countries. Among the African mechanisms, which allows the launch of tripartite cooperation and examining the possibility of establishing joint projects.
The Foreign Ministry spokesman revealed that the two sides discussed ways to enhance economic and trade cooperation relations, while reviewing the investment opportunities available in Egypt, including the most prominent qualified industrial zones and new cities that have been constructed, as well as laws related to improving the investment climate, in addition to discussing the establishment of joint projects in a number of countries. Among the industries in which Slovenia has a comparative advantage, in addition to enhancing bilateral cooperation in many areas such as; Information technology, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, agriculture, food, water management, education, youth and sports, culture, and support for small and medium enterprises, as well as inviting Slovenian companies to invest in the automotive components sector, which is one of the distinguished sectors in Slovenia, and discussing ways to transfer technology. In this sector.
On the other hand, the two sides discussed ways to enhance cooperation in the field of ports to include new ports other than the existing cooperation between the ports of “Cooper” and Alexandria. Egypt’s interest in the fields of clean and renewable energy was also emphasized, and Egypt’s plans to enhance cooperation in the field of energy with the European Union were reviewed. Among them are projects to transport liquefied natural gas in Egypt to Europe. The discussions also touched on the Egyptian projects being implemented to connect electricity with some European countries, in addition to producing green hydrogen and methanol and exporting them to European countries. On the other hand, the two sides discussed the issue of enhancing cooperation in the field of tourism, as the Foreign Minister conveyed Egypt’s interest in increasing the Slovenian tourist flow to Egyptian tourist destinations, especially with the presence of charter flights between Slovenia, Sharm El-Sheikh, and Hurghada.
Ambassador Abu Zeid explained that the Minister of Foreign Affairs expressed Egyptian appreciation for Slovenia’s positions in support of Egypt within the framework of the European Union, which reflects a deep understanding of the process of transformation and development that Egypt is going through and awareness of the challenges it faces. Shoukry also expressed Egypt’s aspiration to coordinate with Slovenia within the framework of the Union for the Mediterranean, as well as in light of the start of Slovenia’s non-permanent membership in the Security Council for the period 2024-2025.
The official spokesman added that Minister Shukri’s meetings with his Slovenian counterpart touched on discussing the visions of both sides regarding various regional and international issues of common interest, most notably the Palestinian issue. The Foreign Minister welcomed the continued Egyptian-Slovenian cooperation in this regard, praising the Slovenian positions in support of the Palestinian issue and its call to stop… Immediate ceasefire, and expressing our appreciation for Slovenia’s vote for the first and second General Assembly resolutions, reviewing Egypt’s relevant efforts to reach an immediate ceasefire, and pushing for the passage of Security Council Resolution No. 2720 regarding the entry of aid into the Gaza Strip.
In connection with the same matter, light was shed on the latest developments related to the Libyan file, as well as the Syrian crisis, the issue of the security of the Red Sea and Yemen and its consequences on the security of navigation and trade, especially in the Suez Canal, and its impact on international transport movement. Developments related to the Sudanese crisis and the tense situation against the backdrop of the ongoing conflict there were also discussed, as persistent Egyptian efforts continued to work to resolve the crisis.
For her part, the Slovenian Minister expressed her keen interest in strengthening bilateral relations with Egypt, based on the distinguished ties between the two countries, noting the importance of improving aspects of investment and trade cooperation between the two sides in a manner consistent with the political relations and bonds of friendship that bind them. Fayon also stressed that Egypt is Slovenia’s most important partner in Africa and the Arab region, praising the pivotal role played by Egypt at the regional and international levels, especially with regard to the explosive crisis in the Gaza Strip, expressing her country’s full agreement with the Egyptian vision regarding the approach to dealing with that crisis. In terms of calling for an immediate ceasefire, the release of hostages, and urgent access to humanitarian aid into the Strip without any obstacles, as well as developing a peace plan to resolve the crisis based on the two-state solution. She also explained that Ljubljana will provide all forms of support to Egypt within the corridors of the European Union, stressing also that close coordination between the two countries will take place during the period of Slovenia’s non-permanent membership in the Security Council, with regard to all regional and international issues.
