Egyptian-Belgian relations have been growing steadily in recent years, with co-operation between the two countries making remarkable progress in diverse domains.
This progress boils down to the weight each of the two countries enjoys in its respective region.
Belgium is the heart of the European Union and Egypt is the heart of the Arab world and Africa.
The recent visit by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi to Belgian capital, Brussels, is seen as a milestone in bilateral ties.
In an exclusive interview with the Egyptian Mail, the Belgian Ambassador to Cairo, François Cornet d’Elzius, delved deep into spheres of co-operation with Egypt and the current political momentum.
Economic ties
Ambassador d’Elzius said Covid-19 did not have strong impacts on bilateral relations, with trade showing the same old signs of strength.
Trade exchange between Egypt and Belgium stands at 1.5 billion Euros annually.
“This is not bad,” the ambassador said. “However, we hope such figures can be much more developed in both directions.”
He noted that Egypt is Belgium’s second most important market in the Middle East.
“Of course we have hopes that it will be our largest market in the region,” he added.
He referred to what he described as ‘immense opportunities’, given the size of the Egyptian market.
“We have to promote Egypt as not just a tourist destination, but as a place for fantastic business opportunities as well,” Ambassador d’Elzius said.
He added that the business environment should be as good as possible.
Ambassador d’Elzius said his country is active in dredging new ports in Egypt.
Belgium, he said, also participates in the construction of the Grand Egyptian Museum near the Giza Plateau.
“We can have more presence, but one has to know that Belgian companies are reasonably small-sized, not giants, that always work as subcontractors,” the Belgian ambassador said.
Archaeological co-operation
Ambassador d’Elzius noted that Belgians will celebrate the 100th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth Foundation of Egyptology this year.
Queen Elizabeth of Belgium was the first lady to enter King Tut Ankh Amon’s tomb.
“This is a good occasion for us to stress what we have been doing,” the ambassador said.
It is worth mentioning that the Foundation Egyptologique Reine Elisabeth was established in Brussels in 1923, with support from Queen Elizabeth and some Belgian industrialists. Since then, Belgium’s expertise in Egyptology and its work in the archaeological field have been developed and extended.
Today, Belgian archaeological missions continue to operate from Alexandria, in northern Egypt, to the Nile Valley and Upper Egypt, in the southern part of the country.
The same missions have been part of a large number of major discoveries that ranged from prehistoric drawings to Graeco-Roman remains.
“We have four active sites for research, including in el-Kab, el-Hosh and Qurta,” the ambassador said. “This is not just about mummies, but also about research in ancient ages, rock caving and the Coptic period.”
He described the work of Belgian archeological missions as ‘very important’, especially as it focuses on understanding how societies worked and how funeral rites were being made.
“It is about understanding the civilisation and the incredible heritage,” Ambassador d’Elzius said.
He said this work would never have been made without day-to-day co-operation with officials at the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.
Co-operation between the two sides has resulted in not only a solid exchange of expertise and concrete opportunities for co-operation, but, more importantly, in strong bonds between individuals, mutual understanding and friendship.
More amazingly, the ambassador said, Belgians are very interested in the ancient Egyptian civilisation.
“Whenever we organise an exhibition of the ancient Egyptian civilisation in Belgium, people flock to it,” Ambassador d’Elzius said.
Belgium held an exhibition of ancient Egyptian artifacts last year.
According to Ambassador d’Elzius, exhibition visitors did not want to leave the exhibition ground at the end of the day.
“The ancient Egyptian civilisation entices Belgian youth,” he said.
Vaccine production
Ambassador d’Elzius referred to his recent meeting with acting health minister, Khalid Abdel Ghaffar, during which the minister thanked the Belgian government for the efforts it made in the past period.
Belgium offered Egypt one million doses of Covid-19 vaccines.
Ambassador d’Elzius said his country would offer an additional 300,000 doses in the coming few days.
“We do our best to help,” the ambassador said.
Belgium, he said, is a major vaccine producer.
“There is intense activity in the vaccine field with many of the world’s major actors having their research laboratories in Belgium,” the ambassador said.
He said Egypt has also been active in this regard, thanks to its strong potential.
“Egypt has companies, the engineers and the infrastructure,” Ambassador d’Elzius said. “It is not just about being able to produce vaccines, but also about the environment.”
