President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi said that the relationship between Egypt and Visegrad Group is a historic friendship and Egypt is proud of its cooperation with the group and looking forward to developing this into a strategic relationship, according to the presidency’s statement on Tuesday.
The president asserted the necessity of gathering the international efforts to confront terrorism and countries which support it. Discussions included the refugee crisis and ways for ending this issue, in addition to illegal migration.
In a similar context, the Czech Republic’s prime minister (PM), Bohuslav Sobotka, asserted on Tuesday his country’s support for Egypt’s efforts in fighting terrorism and its economic reform process during his meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, according to presidency statements.
The meeting was held on the sidelines of the Visegrad Group summit in the Hungarian capital Budapest.
Sobtoka expressed the participating countries’ commitment to enhance relations with Egypt, particularly the Czech Republic, in different fields including military cooperation.
The two discussed the latest developments in the region, whereas Al-Sisi asserted the importance of the international community’s adoption of a strict stance against countries that support and finance terrorist groups.
Al-Sisi also expressed Egypt’s interest in enhancing cooperation between the two countries in various fields, and he presented to Sobtoka the latest economic developments in Egypt and the investment opportunities created by national projects.
Al-Sisi further asserted the organisation of an Egyptian antiques exhibition in the Czech Republic capital Prague in 2019 to celebrate two years of the establishment of the Czech Institution of Egyptology.
Al-Sisi also met on Monday with several Hungarian officials, including Hungarian President János Áder, Parliament Speaker László Kövér, and PM Viktor Orbán.
During his meeting with President Áder, Al-Sisi presented Egypt’s vision to combat terrorism on the international level, asserting the importance of non-discrimination between terrorist organisations, as well as the need for the international community to stand firmly against all parties and countries that support terrorism, whether by armament or with political and media coverage.
Al-Sisi also stressed that combating terrorism should not only be limited to security and military levels, but should also include the economic, social, and cultural dimensions to block terrorist organisations that exploit instability in several countries.
Áder praised the Egyptian vision, explaining what his country witnessed of terrorism and instability throughout history.
Furthermore, Kövér asserted that his scheduled visit to Egypt next November will enhance parliamentary relations between the two countries.
Meanwhile, Orbán expressed his country’s commitment to enhance cooperation with Egypt, adding that Egypt’s economic stability and security held direct benefit to Hungary and Europe, which he asserted to present to the European Union (EU).
Al-Sisi also attended the Egyptian-Hungarian Business Forum, during which he presented Egypt’s economic reform procedures and strategies.
“Egypt, which has a population of over 93 million, enjoys many investment advantages, especially the size of the large and promising market. Egypt is also the gateway to a huge regional market in the Arab world and the African continent through a number of free trade agreements,” Al-Sisi said.
“We call on companies and individuals to invest in Egypt in all fields, especially in the production sectors, as well as the energy and industrial sectors, which we expect to witness a huge leap forward in the next phase, taking into consideration that Egypt is one of the highest countries in the world to achieve return on investment,” he added.
The Visegrad Group is formed of Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic and was established in 1991 to enhance cooperation between the four countries in various fields.
Al-Sisi is the first Arab president to attend the Visegrad Group summit.
