Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Karim Badawi conveyed President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi’s greetings to French President Emmanuel Macron and held talks with several world leaders and senior officials on ways to boost bilateral co-operation, particularly in the oil and gas sectors.
Representing President El-Sisi, Badawi headed Egypt’s delegation to the opening of the 20th Summit of Heads of State and Government of the International Organisation of La Francophonie (OIF), hosted by the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh, with the participation of leaders and government representatives from the organisation’s 90 member states.
The summit was inaugurated by Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni, in the presence of French President Emmanuel Macron, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and OIF Secretary-General Louise Mushikiwabo.
Held under the theme “Investing in Peace for Shared Prosperity and Sustainable Stability”, the summit aims to consolidate co-operation and solidarity among member states and intensify joint efforts to promote peace, stability and sustainable development.
During the summit, Cambodia assumed the organisation’s rotating presidency from France for a two-year term, until the next summit in 2028.
Badawi is scheduled to participate in the two-day summit’s thematic plenary and closed-door sessions, where he will outline Egypt’s efforts to promote peace and stability and support sustainable development. He will also highlight the importance of making greater use of the OIF’s mechanisms for co-operation and joint action.
On the sidelines of the opening session, Badawi held a series of meetings with participating heads of state and government and senior officials. The discussions focused on ways to expand co-operation, particularly in the oil and gas sectors.
During his meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron, Badawi conveyed President El-Sisi’s greetings and reaffirmed the strength of Egyptian-French relations, as well as the longstanding partnership and close co-operation between the two countries across various fields.
The talks also highlighted the importance of maintaining co-ordination and consultation between Cairo and Paris, expanding bilateral co-operation and making use of the frameworks available within the OIF to promote dialogue and co-operation among member states.
Badawi also met Moroccan Prime Minister Fatima Zahra Mansouri to discuss the deep-rooted historical and fraternal ties between Egypt and Morocco. They explored ways to build on existing co-operation and enhance their partnership across various fields, particularly energy, petroleum and natural gas.
In a separate meeting with Luxembourg Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Xavier Bettel, Minister Badawi reviewed bilateral relations and explored opportunities to expand economic co-operation, particularly in the energy, oil and gas sectors.
The Egyptian minister also met OIF Secretary-General Louise Mushikiwabo to discuss co-operation between Egypt and the organisation, as well as Egypt’s active role in supporting joint initiatives to advance the OIF’s objectives and meet the aspirations of its member states.
On the sidelines of the summit, Badawi also met Khaled El-Enany, Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).
