Egypt’s Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouli and his Algerian counterpart Sifi Ghrieb co-chaired proceedings of the ninth session of the Egyptian–Algerian High Joint Committee Wednesday at the Cabinet headquarters in the New Administrative Capital which covered a number of issues of mutual interest.
At the beginning of the talks, the prime minister welcomed Ghrieb and his accompanying delegation, congratulating him on assuming the post of head of the Algerian government, and expressing his sincere wishes for success in achieving further developmental progress for his country. He prayed that God preserve the sister state of Algeria and perpetuate upon it the blessings of security, prosperity, and stability.
Madbouly conveyed the greetings of President Abdel Fattah El Sisi to Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune and to the Algerian prime minister, noting that the president consistently instructs that serious efforts be made to develop all aspects of cooperation between the two sister countries and to elevate them to the level of a strategic partnership, based on the deep historical brotherly ties that unite them.
He said “We observed during President Sisi’s meeting with Ghrieb and his delegation on Tuesday that the meeting was not a routine protocol one, but rather a lengthy and cordial discussion which reflected the president’s fondness for the sisterly state of Algeria.”
The prime minister noted the continued communication at the level of political leadership, pointing out that last month a phone call took place between the two leaders, in which they discussed several regional issues and ways to achieve stability in the region.
Madbouly stressed that Algerian–Egyptian relations are historic, built on shared values and principles, solidarity, and standing side by side. He added “Today we have a shared determination and sincere will to build upon these principles and values for a new phase of development, construction, prosperity, and consolidation of cooperation to advance bilateral relations to wider horizons across various fields in a way that fulfils the aspirations of our two brotherly peoples.”
He added that the Egyptian–Algerian Higher Joint Committee is one of the most important bilateral coordination mechanisms, allowing both countries to explore cooperation opportunities and prospects that maximize mutual interests. He noted that the committee offers an opportunity to exchange expertise and successful experiences, identify shared challenges resulting from regional and international conditions, and work together to propose visions and ideas to confront these challenges and turn them into opportunities for cooperation and synergy.
Madbouly expressed his anticipation of establishing Egyptian–Algerian partnerships to set up joint industrial projects in fields where each country enjoys comparative advantages, contributing to achieving integration and exporting the output of these projects to markets capable of absorbing such products, especially African markets.
He noted that cooperation could cover sectors such as transport, roads, rail and electrical interconnection, and other infrastructure projects, adding that Egypt has extensive expertise in industry, construction, communications and IT, and renewable energy, and is pleased to share that experience with Algeria.
He added that the Egyptian–Algerian Business Forum is an important mechanism that brings together representatives of business communities from both countries. It is a significant platform in which the government is keen to participate in order to hear the needs of the private sector, present governmental efforts to create a conducive environment for economic integration and partnerships, and showcase available investment opportunities in both countries.
He added that many Egyptian companies are already operating in Algeria and that cooperation could be expanded by sending additional Egyptian companies to work in various Algerian projects and benefit from the strong expertise enjoyed by Egyptian firms.
Madbouly also indicated that the Palestinian cause holds a special importance for both Egypt and Algeria, and that Algeria has achieved significant successes on this issue through its non-permanent membership in the UN Security Council for the 2024–2025 term.
He added that, in affirmation of the full implementation of the Sharm El-Sheikh Peace Summit agreement, Egypt is preparing in the coming days to move to the second phase of the agreement by hosting an international conference for early recovery and reconstruction in the Gaza Strip.
He pointed out that stances of Egypt and Algeria are fully coordinated and aligned with regard to the rights of the Palestinian people to establish an independent Palestinian state on the June 4, 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.
During the discussions, Ghrieb expressed his gratitude for the warm reception and generous hospitality provided by Egypt, and his confidence in advancing cooperation and partnership between the two countries.
He affirmed the commitment of the political leadership in both countries to move forward in strengthening Algerian–Egyptian cooperation and partnership toward the highest levels of integration, serving the interests of the two states and the aspirations of their peoples.
The Algerian premier noted that Egypt and Algeria have an extensive economic record of exemplary cooperation and successful partnerships in various fields such as energy, trade, and investment. He said that in recent years the two countries have achieved many economic and trade milestones and jointly executed numerous major and successful investment projects in sectors including energy and petrochemicals, as well as promising and successful projects in construction, infrastructure, services, and agriculture.
Ghrieb also highlighted that Egypt has become one of Algeria’s largest economic partners in trade and investment partnerships. He noted that the positive results of this partnership require further expansion, especially in light of Algeria’s new investment law, which provides the necessary facilities and incentives to create a favorable environment for attracting direct investment and increasing its inflows.
He called for deepening cooperation between the investment authorities and chambers of commerce and industry in the two countries, given their vital structural roles in promoting bilateral investments and utilizing the available economic and trade opportunities. He invited all sectors, stakeholders, and economic actors in both countries to participate in this effort and explore the abundant opportunities available.
Engineer Kamel Al-Wazir, the Deputy Prime Minister for Industrial Development, Minister of Industry and Transport, stated that he had held a meeting with the Algerian delegation to present potential cooperation opportunities in the transport and industrial sectors. The Algerian side expressed interest in cooperating in these fields, and both sides agreed on potential cooperation in textiles, manufacturing petrochemical raw materials, and automobile production.
He added that he intends to visit Algeria at the head of a delegation of Egyptian companies that have carried out numerous infrastructure projects in Egypt, to discuss cooperation with the Algerian side in this area.
Dr Rania Al-Mashat, the Minister of Planning, noted that over the past two days, expert teams from the joint committee agreed to strengthen cooperation in several sectors including industry, transport, renewable energy, culture, and tourism. She added that the ministerial committee agreed on conducting regular follow-up by technical teams to ensure the implementation of the agreements signed today. She also stressed that the Business Forum to be held today will be an opportunity to promote new partnerships between the private sectors of both countries.
Mohamed Abdel-Latif, the Minister of Education and Technical Education, noted that there are significant opportunities for cooperation with Algeria, especially in technical education. He mentioned that he discussed with Algerian ministers the steps Egypt is taking to develop curricula and adopt programming as a core priority in the Egyptian education system.
During the talks, the Algerian ministers expressed their thanks to their Egyptian counterparts for the cooperation and understanding shown during discussions over the past days, confirming agreement on the need to accelerate practical steps to activate the cooperation protocols signed today. They also agreed to intensify efforts to increase the volume of trade between Egypt and Algeria in the coming period.
