Egyptian Minister of Planning, Economic Development and International Cooperation Rania al Mashat on Saturday said that convening the Egyptian-Swiss Joint Economic Committee reflects both countries’ commitment to strengthening economic, trade, and investment relations along with exploring new opportunities to access markets.
The committee is an effective platform to advance bilateral relations and open up new vistas for investment.
Mashat made the remarks while chairing the first meeting of the Joint economic committee between Egypt and Switzerland that was convened at the technical level in the Swiss city of Bern, with participation of representatives of the ministries of foreign affairs, finance, investment and foreign trade, labor as well as the Central Bank.
Representatives of the business community and private sector companies from both sides were present at the meeting of the committee.
The meeting came after inking an economic cooperation agreement between Egypt and Switzerland on the fringe of the World Economic Forum in Davos in January, Mashat said.
She added that the committee represents an opportunity to address challenges hindering the advancement of bilateral economic relations, as well as to asses and update existing economic agreements and improve their implementation.
Mashat highlighted the significant development in Egypt-Switzerland relations, noting that Egypt is Switzerland’s largest trading partner in Africa, with over 100 Swiss companies investing in Egypt across various sectors, including the pharmaceuticals, food and beverages and logistic services.
