Egypt’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Sameh Shoukry received a phone call, on Tuesday, from his Portuguese counterpart Augusto Santos Silva, to discuss the continued coordination on ways to advance bilateral relations.
During the meeting, the two ministers also discussed regional and international issues, as well as issues of mutual concern between the two countries.
In a statement, Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Ahmed Hafez said that Shoukry congratulated Silva on his country’s assumption of the European Union (EU) Presidency on 1 January 2021.
Shoukry also expressed Egypt’s aspiration to continue coordination with Portugal to advance relations with the EU. This also aims to raise the level of EU-African cooperation, which receives great interest from both sides.
Hafez added that during the call, Shoukry expressed his country’s appreciation for the distinguished bilateral relations that binds Egypt and Portugal.
The minister also stressed Egypt’s aspiration to enhance the prospects for bilateral cooperation with Portugal in various fields, including working to increase trade exchange and encourage Portuguese companies to invest in Egypt. This would come in addition to improving tourism and intensifying cultural cooperation between the two countries.
Hafez indicated that the two ministers went on to review a number of regional files, particularly the issue of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), as Shoukry reviewed its latest developments.
The Egyptian minister highlighted his country’s position on the need to reach a binding legal agreement on filling and operating the Ethiopian dam.
During the call, visions were also exchanged regarding the peace process in Libya, the situation in the Horn of Africa, the Sahel region, and the eastern Mediterranean, in addition to ways to develop cooperation between the EU and the southern neighbourhood countries.
