High-level co-operation talks with Argentine

Argentine Ambassador Gonzalo Urriolabeitia along with Secretary of International Economic Relations, Ambassador Cecilia Todesca Bocco and Health Minister Carla Vizzotti

Senior Argentine officials have been visiting Egypt to open up further prospects for co-operation.

Argentina’s Deputy Foreign Minister held political consultations with the Arab League. Argentine Multisectorial Trade Mission held B2B meetings with their Egyptian counterparts. Deputy Minister for Foreign Trade and Minister of Health of Argentina attended Africa Health Excon.

Argentine Minister of Health Carla Vizzotti told The Egyptian Gazette that these visits are to “join pieces of puzzle and identify investment opportunities in diverse sectors, adopting win-win approach”.

“We are very similar. Both countries are keen on investing in health and in producing vaccines,” Vizzotti said.

“When we go back, we will analyse and identify the next steps. What is unique about this visit is that it included talks between public and private sectors from both countries,” Vizzotti added.

Vizzotti met Minister of Health Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, who spoke highly of co-operation efforts between the two countries and their rich history of close bilateral relations. He also stressed Egypt’s keenness to work with the Argentinian side to improve healthcare in both countries.

The two sides discussed co-ordination to develop a plan in medical tourism, localisation of pharmaceutical industries, and co-operation in mental health. Both ministers affirmed their countries’ interest in developing and raising the efficiency of the psychiatric care by expanding mental health facilities and following the latest treatment protocols.

The two sides reviewed the efforts of their countries and their successful experience in the fields of primary health care and comprehensive health cover, where both expressed their willingness to exchange and transfer experiences in this regard.

For her part, the Argentine Minister of Health praised the efforts of the Egyptian state to upgrade its health system as well as the drug manufacture to achieve self-sufficiency.

The Secretary of International Economic Relations, Ambassador Cecilia Todesca Bocco told this newspaper that the trade mission came to Egypt to discuss means to add value and create jobs both in Argentina and in Egypt.

“Argentine is in the very south. It is far away and Egypt can be good partner for us, Bocco said.

“The employment landscape changed very fast after the pandemic. Meanwhile, countries in the south have new opportunities. As for promising areas for joint collaboration, they include food, renewable energies, pharmaceuticals and knowledge-based services as Argentina is very developed in software,” Bocco added.

Bocco also met with Minister of International Cooperation Rania al-Mashat, who stressed that Egypt is keen on cementing south-south collaboration.

Egypt joined the newly-established Development Bank of the BRICS bloc to explore further economic cooperation and promote development.

The Argentinian delegation expressed keenness for co-operation between the private sectors of both countries to support investment.

Argentinian Ambassador in Cairo Gonzalo Urriolabeitia told this newspaper that both countries have very important relationships in all the aspects from technology, foreign policy, education, and archaeology.

“I think that the challenge is to enhance them in all those different areas,” he said.

“The delegations came with a diversified agenda, not only thinking about Argentina exporting to Egypt, but also about finding partnerships about understanding how can we improve enhance our relationships,” the ambassador said.

“It’s a new philosophy in a new world, where we all want to export when we all have import restrictions. It is about finding ways for trade for investment and for partnerships,” he added.

According to the ambassador, Argentine businessman noticed that Egypt has very important free trade agreements with countries in the region, with European Union. “There is an interesting possibility for partnerships,” he said.

“Now we have a better understanding of the needs of the Egyptian market and the Egyptian state as well. So I think that in the near future, we will start seeing results,” the ambassador said.