Egypt’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigration Badr Abdelatty praised the distinguished relations between Egypt and Belgium, expressing his aspiration to continue strengthening them towards broader horizons, particularly in the economic, investment, educational and health sectors.
This came during Abdelatty’s meeting on Wednesday with Belgian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Maxime Prévot on the sidelines of the African-European Ministerial Meeting held in Brussels.
Abdelatty expressed his hope that Belgian companies, especially those operating in the fields of clean energy and pharmaceuticals, would benefit from the investment guarantees provided by the European Union to Egypt within the framework of the strategic partnership between the two sides.
He stressed the importance of including Egypt among the destinations of Belgian economic missions. He reviewed the economic reforms undertaken by the Egyptian state and the investment incentives available in the Egyptian market.
He also expressed hope for launching trilateral cooperation to implement joint projects in Africa in the field of capacity building, in addition to cooperation in the area of migration through opening pathways for legal migration or seasonal labor, within the framework of integration between the labor markets of both countries.
Abdelatty emphasized the importance Egypt places on the issue of recovering Egyptian antiquities that were taken out of the country illegally, in implementation of the directives of President Abdel Fattah El Sisi.
He highlighted the significance of antiquities as a vital part of Egypt’s historical and cultural heritage and expressed hope for cooperation with the Belgian authorities to work towards their restitution.
The meeting also touched on a number of regional and international issues, foremost among them the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip. Minister Abdelatty reviewed Egypt’s efforts to provide all forms of support to the residents of Gaza and expressed appreciation for the support extended by the Belgian side to the Palestinians in the Strip.
He stressed the importance of increasing aid to match the scale of needs, given the catastrophic humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip. The two ministers also exchanged views on the latest developments in Syria, Sudan, Somalia, and the Red Sea region.
Minister Abdelatty underscored the importance of European support in enabling Egypt to address regional challenges, taking into account the interconnection between the security and stability of the Middle East and that of Europe.
