Egypt, Korea Agree to Establish Political, Economic Partnership

 Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi during his meeting with South Korean President Moon Jae-in in Cairo on Thursday, January 20, 2022. (Egyptian Presidency)
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi during his meeting with South Korean President Moon Jae-in in Cairo on Thursday, January 20, 2022. (Egyptian Presidency)
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Egypt, Korea Agree to Establish Political, Economic Partnership

 Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi during his meeting with South Korean President Moon Jae-in in Cairo on Thursday, January 20, 2022. (Egyptian Presidency)
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi during his meeting with South Korean President Moon Jae-in in Cairo on Thursday, January 20, 2022. (Egyptian Presidency)

Egypt and South Korea agreed on Thursday to establish an economic and political partnership within an integrated strategic framework for the various aspects and fields of cooperation.

This came during the meeting between Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and his South Korean counterpart Moon Jae-in at al-Ittihadiya Palace in Cairo.

Egypt is proud of the deep ties with South Korea, Sisi told a joint press conference, calling for activating comprehensive bilateral partnership that would serve the interests of both peoples.

He underlined the importance of holding political consultation and strategic dialogue to push forward bilateral cooperation.

Sisi said Egypt looks forward to attract Korean firms to invest in the country and is willing to facilitate their work in the fields of energy, mining, information technology, artificial intelligence.

The visit comes in light of the mutual keenness to hold talks and exchange visions and views on various topics and issues of common concern.

Jae-in, for his part, said his visit to Egypt is special, saying it's the first visit by a South Korean president to Egypt in 16 years.

He underscored the need to establish a comprehensive bilateral partnership that would bring benefits to the two peoples and promote sustainable cooperation in the future.

He said he agreed with Sisi to expand the horizons of economic cooperation, and decided to boost the value of sustainable partnership by allocating $1 billion in the Economic Development Cooperation Fund and work together to exchange development policies and promote innovation.

Seoul will cooperate with Cairo to convince the international community to respond to the climate change issue, Jae-in affirmed, adding that they agreed to bolster cooperation in the fields of renewable energy and eco-friendly infrastructure.



Syrians Protest to Demand Answers about Loved Ones Who Disappeared under Assad’s Rule

Wafaa Mustafa, center, holds a picture of her missing father during a demonstration in Damascus, Syria, Friday, Dec. 2024. (AP)
Wafaa Mustafa, center, holds a picture of her missing father during a demonstration in Damascus, Syria, Friday, Dec. 2024. (AP)
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Syrians Protest to Demand Answers about Loved Ones Who Disappeared under Assad’s Rule

Wafaa Mustafa, center, holds a picture of her missing father during a demonstration in Damascus, Syria, Friday, Dec. 2024. (AP)
Wafaa Mustafa, center, holds a picture of her missing father during a demonstration in Damascus, Syria, Friday, Dec. 2024. (AP)

Dozens of relatives of missing Syrians gathered Friday in Damascus to demand answers about the fate of their loved ones, as many Syrians have been missing for years, some disappearing after being detained by the now-toppled government of Bashar al-Assad.

The gathering comes nearly three weeks after the opposition freed dozens of people from Syrian prisons following the fall of Assad’s government. Since then, no additional detainees have been found, leaving thousands of families still in anguish over the fate of their missing relatives.

Relatives have been traveling across Syria in search of information.

“We accept nothing less than knowing all details related to what happened to them,” said Wafa Mustafa, whose father, Ali Mustafa, has been missing for over a decade.

“Who is responsible for their detention? Who tortured them? If they were killed, who killed them? Where were they buried?” Mustafa said, speaking at the gathering held at Al-Hijaz Station in Damascus.

In 2023, the United Nations established an independent body to investigate the fate of more than 130,000 people missing during the Syrian conflict.

Marah Allawi, whose son Huzaifa was detained in 2012 at the age of 18, said she saw “how they tortured young men, how they put them in cages and tortured them.”

She called on the international community to act. “I call on the whole world to know where our sons are.”