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Egypt, EU Bolster Cooperation in Water Management, Agriculture

Egypt's Ambassador to the European Union Badr Abdel-Atti held talks with EU Commissioner for Agriculture Janusz Wojciechowski (Egyptian Foreign Ministry)
Egypt's Ambassador to the European Union Badr Abdel-Atti held talks with EU Commissioner for Agriculture Janusz Wojciechowski (Egyptian Foreign Ministry)
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Egypt, EU Bolster Cooperation in Water Management, Agriculture

Egypt's Ambassador to the European Union Badr Abdel-Atti held talks with EU Commissioner for Agriculture Janusz Wojciechowski (Egyptian Foreign Ministry)
Egypt's Ambassador to the European Union Badr Abdel-Atti held talks with EU Commissioner for Agriculture Janusz Wojciechowski (Egyptian Foreign Ministry)

Egypt and the European Union announced on Friday strengthening their cooperation in the field of water management and agriculture, according to a statement by the Egyptian Foreign Ministry.

Egypt's Ambassador to the European Union (EU) Badr Abdel-Atti discussed the issue with EU Commissioner for Agriculture Janusz Wojciechowski, the statement said.

It added that the meeting comes as Cairo pays great attention to the two sectors to tackle the current challenges related to food security and achieving sustainable development for agricultural development projects.

During his meeting with the EU official, Abdel-Atti affirmed his country’s interest in cooperating with the EU in providing training and capacity building programs for young farmers in rural areas, as well as cooperating in agricultural ventures, developing agricultural technology, and exchanging technical expertise to develop agricultural systems.

The officials also tackled the repercussions of the Ukrainian crisis on food security in Egypt and Africa, in light of the low quantities supplied of food products, including wheat, and the rising prices.

For his part, the European Commissioner expressed his aspiration to visit Egypt to attend the upcoming UN climate change conference, COP27, scheduled in November in the Red Sea city of Sharm El-Sheikh.

Early this month, Cairo reiterated its demand that Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan reach a legally-binding agreement to fill and operate the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).

The dispute was sparked in 2011 when Addis Ababa began constructing the mega-dam on the Blue Nile.

Meanwhile, Cairo is moving to activate an electronic system to confront and remove illegal encroachments on the Nile amid the ongoing GERD crisis.

Addis Ababa intends to start the third filling of the dam’s reservoir.

Egyptian Minister of Irrigation Mohamed Abdel Aty said on Friday that the data required to activate the electronic system for managing the Egyptian state’s property is being compiled and prepared, to develop the most appropriate ways to maximize water resources.

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Italy Plans to Return Ambassador to Syria to Reflect New Diplomatic Developments, Minister Says

Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks while meeting with members of the G7, on July 11, 2024, during the NATO summit in Washington. (AP)
Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks while meeting with members of the G7, on July 11, 2024, during the NATO summit in Washington. (AP)
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Italy Plans to Return Ambassador to Syria to Reflect New Diplomatic Developments, Minister Says

Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks while meeting with members of the G7, on July 11, 2024, during the NATO summit in Washington. (AP)
Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks while meeting with members of the G7, on July 11, 2024, during the NATO summit in Washington. (AP)

Italy plans to send an ambassador back to Syria after a decade-long absence, the country’s foreign minister said, in a diplomatic move that could spark divisions among European Union allies.

Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, speaking in front of relevant parliamentary committees Thursday, announced Rome’s intention to re-establish diplomatic ties with Syria to prevent Russia from monopolizing diplomatic efforts in the Middle Eastern country.

Moscow is considered a key supporter of Syrian President Bashar Assad, who has remained in power despite widespread Western isolation and civilian casualties since the start of Syria’s civil war in March 2011.

Peaceful protests against the Assad government — part of the so-called “Arab Spring” popular uprisings that spread across some of the Middle East — were met by a brutal crackdown, and the uprising quickly spiraled into a full-blown civil war.

The conflict was further complicated by the intervention of foreign forces on all sides and a rising militancy, first by al-Qaida-linked groups and then the ISIS group until its defeat on the battlefield in 2019.

The war, which has killed nearly half a million people and displaced half the country’s pre-war population of 23 million, is now largely frozen, despite ongoing low-level fighting.

The country is effectively carved up into areas controlled by the Damascus-based government of Assad, various opposition groups and Syrian Kurdish forces.

In the early days of the conflict, many Western and Arab countries cut off relations with Syria, including Italy, which has since managed Syria-related diplomacy through its embassy in Beirut.

However, since Assad has regained control over most of the territory, neighboring Arab countries have gradually restored relations, with the most symbolically significant move coming last year when Syria was re-admitted to the Arab League.

Tajani said Thursday the EU’s policy in Syria should be adapted to the “development of the situation,” adding that Italy has received support from Austria, Croatia, Greece, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Cyprus and Slovakia.

However, the US and allied countries in Europe have largely continued to hold firm in their stance against Assad’s government, due to concerns over human rights violations.