Cairo (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – EU Parliament President Metsola met with Egyptian President El-Sisi to discuss EU-Egypt relations.
Among the attendees was the Egyptian Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dr. Hanafy Gebaly, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Emigration and Egyptian Expatriates, Dr. Badr Abdel-Atty, along with European Union Ambassador in Cairo, Angelina Eichhorst.
European Parliament President Roberta Metsola is in Egypt from January 8 to 9, 2025, as part of efforts to further strengthen the European Union’s ties with Egypt. The visit takes place amid the ongoing talks over EU macro-financial assistance and the geopolitical situation in the Middle East.
What economic ties were discussed between the EU and Egypt?
A spokesman for the Presidency, Ambassador Mohamed El-Shennawy, said that President El-Sisi sent a cable of congratulations to the President of the European Parliament on taking office, stating Egypt’s preparedness to cooperate with her in the development of a partnership between Egypt and the European Union, including enhancing parliamentary relations with the European side, for effective communication between peoples.
The meeting covered ways to promote relations between Egypt and the European Union. During the meeting, both parties went over cooperation domains in the sectors of the economy, investment, and trade. Mechanisms of effectuating their comprehensive strategic partnership in all other aspects were reviewed. Cooperation continues in issues about migration and terrorism.
Support to Egypt’s effective efforts at halting illegal migration, the first line of defense for Europe, especially considering Egypt hosts more than nine million foreigners due to regional crises prevailing today, which had already suffered an estimated loss of seven billion dollars in revenues in the Suez Canal for 2024 due to attacks by Houthis on commercial ships in Bab al-Mandab following the ongoing Gaza war.
