Ashraf AboArafe
On Wednesday, October 16, Dr. Badr Abdel Aati, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Immigration and Egyptian Expatriates Affairs, received a phone call from Mr. Takeshi Iwaya, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Japan. The Minister of Foreign Affairs congratulated his Japanese counterpart on assuming his new position.
Ambassador Tamim Khilaf, the official spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stated that Minister Abdel Aati praised the distinguished bilateral relations between Egypt and Japan, and the promotion of relations to the “level of strategic partnership” in 2023, noting the great appreciation that the Egyptian state has for Japan’s contribution to many development projects, most notably the Grand Egyptian Museum and the Egyptian/Japanese partnership in the field of education and other fields.
In a related context, Minister Abdel-Ati pointed out the Egyptian side’s aspiration for the continued flow of Japanese investments to Egypt and for the Japanese private sector to benefit from the promising investment opportunities that abound in the Egyptian market, and expressed his aspiration to open new areas of economic cooperation between Egypt and Japan, especially in the fields of green hydrogen, artificial intelligence, and linking institutions and research centers in the two countries.
With regard to regional developments, the Minister of Foreign Affairs reviewed the Egyptian efforts to reach an agreement to cease fire in Gaza and release hostages and detainees, and stop the bloodshed and humanitarian tragedy that the Palestinian people have been experiencing over the past year, stressing Egypt’s position rejecting the escalation policies pursued by Israel and their serious repercussions on the security and stability of the region. He also stressed Egypt’s categorical rejection of the Israeli aggression on Lebanon, warning of the repercussions of the escalation on the continued expansion of the conflict in the region. In this context, he reviewed the intensive efforts and contacts that Egypt has made with various Lebanese political factions and active international parties during the recent period to prevent regional escalation, in addition to ending the presidential vacancy crisis in Lebanon and enabling Lebanese institutions to play their role.
