Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said Thursday his country is keen on fighting terrorism and extremist ideologies in the African continent.
Shoukry was speaking during a press conference to present details of the second edition of Aswan Forum for Sustainable Peace and Development to be held virtually on March 1-5. The press event was attended by Deputy Foreign Minister for African Affairs Hamdy Loza and director-general of Cairo International Center for Conflict Resolution, Peacekeeping and Peace-building (CCCPA) Ahmed Abdel Latif.
"Terror groups’ ability to move from one place to another requires security coordination, information exchange on bilateral and multilateral levels, and capacity-building," Shoukry said.
He also stressed that President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi is keen to support development efforts in Africa.
For his part, Loza said 40 speakers out of 70 have confirmed their attendance, clarifying that there is an orientation into having a maximum of four panelists per session to make room for interaction with the attendees.
Meanwhile, Abdel Latif stated that an invitation was extended to the new US administration.
"The forum wants the new US administration to take part and present its vision and priorities on certain matters like terrorism and the US military presence."
The theme of this second edition is "Shaping Africa's New Normal: Recovering Stronger, Rebuilding Better."
The event will see discussions on post-COVID-19 recovery; terrorism; role of women in establishing peace and security; sustaining peace through reconstruction and development; arts and culture; trade; forced displacement; cooperation for development in the Red Sea; and Sahel crises.
