Minister of Foreign Affairs Sameh Shoukry received on Saturday the new board of the Egyptian Council for Foreign Affairs (ECFA), headed by former foreign minister Mohamed Al-Orabi.
Ahmed Abu Zeid, the spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said that the meeting came within the framework of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs ‘ keenness to interact with think tanks and expand the circle of consultation and exchange of views on various issues related to Egyptian foreign policy.
The dialogue between the minister of Foreign Affairs and the members of the council addressed Egypt’s relations with its strategic partners, the situation on the African arena, the issue of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), and relations with the neighboring countries.
The meeting also discussed the role of Egyptian diplomacy and the tools of Public Diplomacy in supporting the goals of the Egyptian state in various political, economic and cultural fields.
The discussions reflected the important role played by research and think tanks in supporting the foreign policy decision-making process, and the importance of keeping communication channels open with research centers to maximize the use of scientific expertise and practical experiences available to support the goals of Egyptian foreign policy in protecting the interests of the homeland.
Meanwhile, Shoukry will meet on Sunday Antonio Tajani, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Italy.
The two sides will discuss cooperation on issues of illegal migration, regional challenges, including Libya, the Middle East peace process, and safety.
During his visit to Cairo, Tajani is scheduled to discuss bilateral cooperation at the general level and in the energy sector in particular.
Tajani ‘s visit to Cairo comes in the context of a series of visits he led last week to Turkey and Tunisia, to address the issue of illegal migration, and to achieve stability in Libya as well.
Tajani ‘s visit to Egypt also comes about two months after Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry’s visit to Italy as part of his participation in the “Mediterranean Dialogues” conference organized in Rome from 1 to 3 December.
The visit also comes a little more than three months after the meeting between Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni and President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on the sidelines of the 27th UN climate summit in Sharm el-Sheikh last November, where the two sides discussed the Libyan crisis, the fight against illegal migration, respect for Human Rights, energy supplies, renewable energy sources, the climate crisis and security in the Mediterranean.
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani stressed the need to ensure an electoral solution in Libya.
This can be achieved with an agreement between the intervening parties, such as Egypt, as well as Italy,” Tajani said in media statements quoted by the Nova news agency.
