Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi has praised the depth of relations with South Korea and the remarkable momentum witnessed between the two countries during the past period, stressing the importance of working to activate the joint comprehensive partnership in a way that is in line with the capabilities of both countries.
The president’s remarks came as he received on Thursday South Korean President Moon Jae-in on the first visit by a South Korean leader to Egypt in nearly 16 years, Presidency Spokesman Ambassador Bassam Radi said.
During their talks yesterday, the two leaders discussed ways to enhance bilateral relations, especially economic, investment and trade as well as co-operation in the development of the railway sector, which is among the important priorities on which the Egyptian state relies to make a qualitative leap in the development process that is currently taking place at accelerated steps.
The two presidents also discussed prospects for maximising co-operation between the two countries in the localisation of the electric car industry in Egypt, in addition to co-operation in the field of communications, information technology, automation, tourism, infrastructure projects, and mining.
They reviewed ways to engage South Korea in implementing the Decent Life initiative as well as co-operation in the field of energy of all kinds, in light of the two countries’ keenness to diversify and secure their energy sources.
Discussions during the meeting also included a review of ways to enhance military and security co-operation between the two countries, especially with regard to co-operation in joint manufacturing, transfer and localisation of technology, in light of the pivotal role that Egypt plays in the region and its responsibility to achieve stability, security and combat terrorism.
The two leaders also highlighted consensus on a number of issues, foremost of which is the developments of the Libyan crisis.
The president stressed in this regard that the stability of the internal situation in the Libyan territories is a priority for Egypt, and then Egypt continues its endeavours actively with the Libyan parties to hold national elections.
In the same context, the president affirmed Egypt’s permanent support for all mechanisms that guarantee the security and stability of the Korean Peninsula.
For his part, the Korean president expressed keenness to maintain coordination and consultation with Egypt in various fields as well as looked forward to developing and strengthening South Korea’s relations with Egypt, especially in light of its pivotal role under the leadership of the president to lay the foundations for stability and security in the Middle East and the African continent.
He also highlighted the interest of the Korean side in increasing its investments in major development and infrastructure projects in Egypt as well as other projects in all sectors.
The Korean leader praised Egypt’s political weight as a cornerstone in maintaining security and stability in the Middle East and Africa, especially with regard to the Egyptian moves to reach a political settlement of crises in the region.
This comes as well as tireless efforts led by President Sisi to combat terrorism and extremist ideology and spread the values of coexistence and tolerance in the region, strengthening bridges of dialogue between African and Arab countries with various world countries.
At the conclusion of the talks, the two presidents witnessed the signing ceremony of a number of memoranda of understanding between the two countries in the fields of trade and economic partnership, development co-operation, and railways.
