Egypt’s Minister of Finance Mohamed Maait held four bilateral meetings with his counterparts in Uzbekistan, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Sudan, on the sidelines of the annual meeting of the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) in Uzbekistan.
The ministers tackled bilateral cooperation, exchanging experiences in dealing with the coronavirus pandemic, and development goals.
IsDB meetings began on Friday and ended on Saturday. It witnessed discussing ways to advance innovation, partnerships, Islamic finance and value-added chains, to support the economic and social development of the member states.
Timur Ishmetov, Minister of Finance of Uzbekistan, received Maait at the headquarters of the Uzbek Ministry of Finance, and the two parties discussed ways to advance economic relations between the two countries, encourage investors to explore opportunities for joint investment, and mechanisms to increase air traffic in the field of passenger and cargo transportation.
Ishmetov expressed his country’s aspiration to benefit from the Egyptian economic reforms experience taking into consideration social aspects of the programme.
Maait showcased Egypt’s experience in this field, especially in terms of establishing a database for families in need, providing them with financial support through initiatives like the “Takaful and Karama” (Solidarity and Dignity) programme, “Decent Life”, comprehensive health insurance system, and the development of education.
The Minister of Finance invited his Uzbek counterpart to visit Egypt.
In his meeting with Kuwaiti Finance Minister KhalifaHamada, Maait discussed the repercussions of the pandemic on the economies of the two countries, and the measures that have been taken to mitigate the effects of this crisis on the social and economic levels.
In his meeting with Muhammad Al-Jadaan, the Saudi Minister of Finance, Maait reviewed the Egyptian experience to deal with the pandemic, in addition to projects to develop and mechanize the tax and customs systems.
Moreover, in his meeting with Gebriel Ibrahim, the Sudanese Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, Maait discussed ways to advance bilateral cooperation in various fields to achieve the aspirations of the two countries by striving to make optimal use of theopportunities of economic and investment cooperation.
Furthermore, Maait and Egypt’s Minister of Planning and Economic Development Hala El-Said, discussed with Hany Sonbol, CEO of the International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation (ITFC), the projects implemented by the Corporation in Egypt.
The ITFC President confirmed that their largest cooperation portfolio was with Egypt. He is scheduled to visit Egypt in the coming days to discuss ways to advance cooperation between the two parties.
