Despite the geographical distance, Egypt and New Zealand have maintained close relations since the mid-1970s. Such ties are characterised by existing co-operation in various fields, including New Zealand’s participation in the multinational forces in Sinai.
Relations between Egypt and New Zealand have been witnessing a gradual and remarkable development as New Zealand replaced its non-resident representation in Egypt with an embassy in Cairo that was opened in 2006. Then Egyptian and New Zealand efforts to advance bilateral relations culminated in the decision of the President of the Republic to open an Egyptian embassy in Wellington in April 2010.
In an interview with the Egyptian Mail, New Zealand Ambassador to Egypt Greg Lewis highlighted the scope of co-operation in diverse domains.
The ambassador said his great-grandfather has spent time in Egypt and took his stories in Egypt back to New Zealand.
“That is why Egypt played quite prominent cultural role in development of New Zealand,” the envoy said.
“Even during the absence of embassies, things were going very well. There has been collaboration in several fields including disarmament and nuclear proliferation,” he added.
Ambassador Lewis has been in Egypt before he was appointed ambassador. When he came back to Egypt as New Zealand envoy, it was interesting for him to see what has been achieved.
“We had consultations between foreign ministries of both countries to explore areas where we can create co-operation. Egypt is a regional leader and it’s very important to share views.”
Next month, the ambassador said, there will be joint trade commission, bringing officials from both countries to discuss commercial relationship. “This is to see what we can do differently and what we can do better.”
The ambassador went on to say that New Zealand is geographically far away from Egypt, but it is very close in terms of concepts and values.
“New Zealand is relatively new in the global arena, so it can provide innovative thought and fresh thinking. It is an exciting time to boost bilateral ties.”
The ambassador stressed that the friendship between the two countries is so strong and the geopolitical changes are not going to impact negatively the relationship. Both countries show genuine will to further improve ties, he said.
The ambassador also referred to close coordination with the Egyptian embassy in New Zealand, stressing the great synergy between their work, which is focused on ‘win-win’ concept.
“We want Egypt to succeed. We want to succeed,” he said.
According to Ambassador Lewis, the emergence of Covid-19 highlighted the need to work collectively.
Joint agricultural co-operation is a striking example of the win-win approach.
“We send dairy products and Egypt is strong in fruits. In 2020, we brought oranges from Egypt. Other citrus products are to be sent as well according to the agreement signed in June. There is great co-operation between two ministries of agriculture. There is a lot of trust.”
Opening doors to Egyptian citrus to the New Zealand market reflect the warmth of trade ties.
“It also shows that we are keen on promoting commercial ties. We both succeed when we both win.”
As Egypt started to export oranges to New Zealand in 2020, the ambassador stressed that the feedback of consumers is very positive.
“It is hard to find them on the shelves due to high demand. People are really impressed.”
The ambassador said there have been talks in the past five weeks to open doors to more agricultural products and he also referred to the great potential in co-operation in the field of agricultural scientific research.
“New Zealand is in the Global Research Alliance, which is a climate change initiative to curb emissions from agriculture.”
At economic level, trade between the two countries is from $300 million to $350 million per year.
“The New Zealand government seeks balanced diversified trade relationship. New Zealand exports dairy products while Egypt exports fertilisers and ceramics. We are planning in September to have a meeting between New Zealand high-level officials and officials from the Ministry of Trade and Industry here in Cairo.”
The meeting is to deal with how both countries can increase the trade volume and what they can do differently and how to create an environment that can encourage more trade co-operation.
The biggest challenge, the ambassador said, is to ensure that New Zealand importers and exporters are aware of the available opportunities in Egypt.
“Recently, I visited GAFI to get more information, a matter that helps better understanding and increases Egypt’s visibility for New Zealand investors .”
Due to the geographical distance, there are other alternatives like virtual business delegations.
“We do have New Zealand trade enterprise which is a government agency responsible for business to business connections. There are numerous channels where people can interact.”
“Egypt has provided a lot of incentives for businesses and companies to come and invest here. I think for New Zealand, it is a matter of getting information. Sharing information is very important to achieve best results.”
Meanwhile, the ambassador noted that environment is a massive area for co-operation, especially that Egypt is to host COP27. Green economy is also a promising area in addition to defence co-operation.
“It is very important to think of what is acceptable and applicable for both countries.”
Regarding climate action, New Zealand is looking into areas where it can support and assist.
“With no action, No one wins. We need to be brave and work together. We want to pass on a legacy of a healthy planet and sustainable environment.”
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