Egypt, EU to Enhance Partnership

Sisi met with Von der Leyen in Cairo last week. (Egyptian presidency)
Sisi met with Von der Leyen in Cairo last week. (Egyptian presidency)
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Egypt, EU to Enhance Partnership

Sisi met with Von der Leyen in Cairo last week. (Egyptian presidency)
Sisi met with Von der Leyen in Cairo last week. (Egyptian presidency)

The ninth meeting of the EU-Egypt Association Council is set to kick off on Sunday in Luxembourg.

The event will be co-chaired by Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry and the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell.

It will endorse the new EU-Egypt Partnership Priorities document 2021–2027, which will guide the partnership between both parties, Egypt’s official news agency MENA reported.

The meeting will also tackle the relation between Egypt and the EU, as well as other political issues.

Participants will discuss in the plenary session the developments and prospects of the Association Agreement between the European Union and Egypt.

The political dialogue will then touch on global and regional issues of common interest.

The meeting comes a few days after EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen visited Cairo and met with President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.

Sisi said the EU is Cairo’s key partner in various fields, adding that they both agree to lay the foundations for a strategic partnership.”

Von der Leyen pledged “immediate relief of 100 million euros” to support food security in Egypt, which has relied on Russia and Ukraine for over 80% of its wheat.

Egypt has been pressing to achieve a qualitative leap in its partnership with the EU in the future by enhancing cooperation in various major sectors, including energy and clean energy, food security, digital transformation, electric transport, modern agriculture and irrigation, and vaccine production.

It has established mechanisms to encourage European companies to invest more in Egypt and signed a tripartite cooperation with the EU and their partners in the African continent.



US Delivers 4 Advanced Reconnaissance Aircraft to Tunisia

One of the four C208 aircraft donated by the United States (TAP)
One of the four C208 aircraft donated by the United States (TAP)
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US Delivers 4 Advanced Reconnaissance Aircraft to Tunisia

One of the four C208 aircraft donated by the United States (TAP)
One of the four C208 aircraft donated by the United States (TAP)

Tunisia on Monday took delivery of four C208 aircraft donated by the US and equipped with control, surveillance and reconnaissance systems.

“The aircraft are endowed with modern systems which will strengthen the National Army's military and operational capabilities in countering terrorism and cross-border crime,” Tunisian Defense Minister Khaled Shili said at a ceremony held Monday at the Aouina airbase with the attendance of US Ambassador Joey Hood.

The C208 will strengthen operational and logistical capacities in intelligence, reconnaissance and aerial surveillance, he added, considering the accuracy of execution and speedy data processing and analysis.

They will thus contribute to improving security and peace at home and in the region.

The delivery takes place under the Tunisia-US cooperation and in application of the military cooperation program agreed during the 34th session of the Tunisia-US Joint Military Commission held in 2020.

Shili commended coordination with the US which led to the conclusion of what he called a “successful transaction,” as was the case in previous transactions involving C130 aircraft, training aircraft and speedboats.