MALABO – Minister of Foreign Affairs, Emigration and Egyptian Expatriates Badr Abdelatty stressed that President Abdel Fattah El Sisi’s participation in the African Union’s (AU) mid-year coordination summit underscores Egypt’s commitment to strengthening ties with the continent.
In statements to Nile TV on Saturday evening, Abdelatty said the President’s attendance highlights the priority Egypt places for fostering inter-African relations and enhancing cooperation with its brothers across the continent.
He said the current AU session is of special significance as it focuses on regional integration, a critical issue following the enactment of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA).
Egypt is working hard to leverage this agreement to boost intra-African trade and advance regional integration, he added.Abdelatty said President Sisi will deliver two speeches at the summit, one in his capacity as the chair of the NEPAD Heads of State and Government Steering Committee and the other in his capacity as the head of the North African Regional Capability.
Sisi will review Egypt’s efforts over the past two years to mobilize funding for implementing the AU’s Agenda 2063 and advancing regional integration.The top diplomat said President Sisi’s visit includes planned meetings with several African leaders as part of Egypt’s keenness on deepening political, economic, and trade relations with the African continent.Abdelatty highlighted several mechanisms launched under Sisi’s directives to bolster pan-African cooperation, including doubling the budget of the Egyptian Agency of Partnership for Development (EAPD), enacting a $100 million financing mechanism for water and development projects in the Nile Basin and establishing the Egyptian Export Credit Guarantee Agency for Africa.Abdelatty reiterated Egypt’s ongoing mediation efforts in coordination with Qatar, including almost-daily contact with US envoy Stephen Wittkoff and Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani.He said President Sisi has directed intensified efforts to finalize a ceasefire agreement, a long-awaited step to spare Palestinian lives.Negotiations are now at an advanced stage, but greater Israeli flexibility and political will are needed, Abdelatty said.Once a ceasefire is achieved, Cairo’s international conference on early recovery and reconstruction in Gaza will take place, he added.
