Egypt’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Sameh Shoukry met with Tariq Ahmed, the British Secretary of State for North Africa, South and Central Asia, the Commonwealth, and the United Nations, on Wednesday.
Ahmed Hafez, the Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said that this visit comes in light of the importance that the British side attaches to enhancing cooperation with Egypt.
The two sides stressed the importance of holding the first Participation Council between Egypt and the UK under the chairmanship of Shoukry and his British counterpart Liz Truss to discuss various issues of bilateral cooperation, consultation, and coordination.
Furthermore, Shoukry welcomed the UK’s government’s decision to amend travel guidelines for the southern part of South Sinai and Fayoum by adding them to its list of safe areas, which would stimulate tourism.
He also stressed the importance of UK investments in Egypt and looked forward to enhancing its involvement in giant development projects and exploiting promising investment opportunities in Egypt.
In this regard, Shoukry explained that national efforts to move towards a green economy within the ongoing modernisation and development process in the country, as well as the importance of this in light of Egypt’s presidency and hosting of the 27th session of the Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP 27) in Sharm El-Sheikh this November.
Additionally, the top diplomat reviewed the achievements and efforts being exerted in furthering human rights in Egypt under the framework of the implementation of the national strategy for human rights and efforts, which upholds the principles of citizenship and equality, promotes the values of tolerance, and renews religious discourse to combat extremism.
The meeting also witnessed an exchange of views on all international and regional issues, including the repercussions of the conflict in Ukraine, tension and escalation in the Palestinian territories, as well as the latest developments in the Libyan scene.
