Speaker of the House of Representatives Hanfi Gebali had a meeting with Speaker of the National Assembly of South Africa Nosiviwe Noluthando Mapisa-Nqakula and Chairperson of South Africa’s National Council of Provinces Nkosiyakhe Amos Masondo on the sidelines of their participation in the 9th BRICS Parliamentary Forum in Johannesburg, South Africa.
At the beginning of the meeting, Gebali asserted the keenness of the leadership of Egypt and South Africa on strengthening parliamentary ties between the two countries.
He also stressed the importance of continuing consultation and coordination between the two countries on African issues that serve the interests of the African continent and meet the aspirations of the peoples of the continent in achieving stability and development.
Gebali lauded extending an invitation to Egypt to join BRICS, deeming it as a continuation of Egypt’s active engagement with the bloc’s developing nations since the launch of the “BRICS Plus” initiative in 2017, in which Egypt participated in its different activities, at the level of President Abdel Fattah El Sisi, the Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister.
During the meeting, Gebali said Egypt is looking forward to actively participating in various BRICS initiatives and mechanisms, underlining the importance of enhancing channels of communication between the parliaments of the BRICS countries.
Gebali stressed the importance of promoting the South-South cooperation to find practical and viable solutions to overcome challenges to developing countries.
He also urged African countries to accelerate the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
