Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty kicked off on Sunday a visit to Brussels and Strasbourg for talks with European officials aimed at following up on activating the strategic partnership between Cairo and the European Union.
A Foreign Ministry statement said that meetings during his first stop in Brussels aim to bolster cooperation with the EU. The FM is scheduled to hold talks with senior European officials, including head of the European Council and chief of foreign policy.
He will also meet with heads of major Belgian companies and members of the Egyptian diaspora.
Egypt and Europe are keen on strengthening and developing their relations to the level of “comprehensive strategic partnership,” as announced during a summit in Cairo in March that was attended by President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, head of the European Commission, and the presidents and prime ministers of Cyprus, Italy, Austria and Greece.
In Strasbourg, the home of the European Parliament, Abdelatty will meet with its speaker and heads of various parliamentary political groups and committees concerned with following up on the development of ties between Egypt and EU, added the Foreign Ministry statement.
Former Assistant Foreign Minister Ambassador Gamal Bayoumi underscored to Asharq Al-Awsat the importance of the timing of the visit given the developments in the region and the success of international mediation, including Egypt’s, in reaching a ceasefire in Israel’s war on Gaza.
Egypt is hoping the EU would pressure Israel to forge ahead with peace and implement the two-state solution to support stability in the region, he added.
Egypt is also hoping to boost coordination with Europe over developments in the Horn of Africa, Red Sea and other regions, as well as in counterterrorism and in deepening bilateral ties, especially in the economy and investment, he continued.
