CAIRO – Assistant Foreign Minister for European Affairs Ambassador Wael Hamed and Director General for Global Affairs at the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs Mikael Lindvall co-chaired the fourth round of political consultations between both countries here on Tuesday.
During this round of talks, the Egyptian diplomat reviewed the progress of economic and investment cooperation, including ongoing preparations for the visit of the Swedish Minister for International Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade to Cairo next month, as well as the 2nd session of the Egyptian-Swedish Business Forum on the sidelines of the visit.
The talks also covered EU-Egypt Strategic and Comprehensive Partnership, and Egypt’s aspiration for Sweden’s continued support to serve Egyptian interests within the European Union, including the disbursement of a €4 billion second tranche of a larger €7.4 billion macro-financial assistance (MFA) package. Meanwhile, the Swedish side hailed the volume of economic and investment cooperation between both countries, noting that over 250 Swedish companies are operating in Egypt and contributing to the advancement of the Egyptian economy.
These companies also contribute to the growth of various Egyptian sectors, including healthcare, transportation, manufacturing, and ICT industries, Swedish officials said, highlighting the role of Sweden’s first telephone company “Ericsson” in developing the 5G network in Egypt. During the talks, the two sides shared their views on a wide range of regional and international issues of mutual concern, including ongoing developments in the Middle East, especially in Gaza, as well as the situation in Libya, Syria, Lebanon, Sudan, Somalia, and the Horn of Africa. They also discussed the situation in the Red Sea, the latest developments of the Russian-Ukrainian crisis, and a raft of multilateral issues, such as the role of international organizations and groupings in addressing global issues. The two sides agreed to continue exchanging high-level visits to boost Egyptian relations with European countries, especially in the Nordic region.
