Romania’s President Klaus Iohannis said on Wednesday in Cairo that business people in Egypt and Romania should be encouraged to start up joint projects both bilaterally and in third markets.
“In our conversation, we agreed that moving forward we have to identify new ways to capitalise on the important development potential for co-operation in areas with a crucial part for both Romania and Egypt: defence, energy, agriculture, transport, IT & C, cybersecurity, education, research and innovation. The business forum taking place on the sidelines of this visit will undoubtedly play an important role. We have to continue to work together to encourage business people in Egypt and Romania to start up joint projects bilaterally, as well as in third markets, starting from the fact that both Romania and Egypt represent gateways to the most important integrated economic markets: the European Union, and the African Continental Free Trade Area, respectively,” Iohannis told a joint news conference with his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah El-Sisi.
He pointed out that his visit to Cairo reaffirms the desire of the two countries to strengthen their high-level political dialogue, and also to reaffirm the mutual commitment of the two countries to diversifying contacts and projects by steering their traditional partnership towards the future.
“I am firmly convinced that the next meeting of the Joint Committee on Economic, Scientific and Technical Cooperation will play an important role in expanding our co-operation and stimulating as many common economic projects as possible, while allowing for the modernisation of the current legal framework,” Iohannis said.
The Romanian chief of state said he is convinced that the Romanian-Egyptian relations will be strengthened, with mutual benefits to the two countries and their citizens. He pointed out that Egypt is one of Romania’s traditional friends in the Middle East and Africa and an important economic and sectoral partner.
“This year we celebrate the 115th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Romania and Egypt, a long-standing relationship, characterised by mutual respect and trust. There is still great potential for the development of our bilateral relations on all levels,” said Iohannis on a state visit to Egypt at the invitation of his Egyptian counterpart.
He is scheduled to meet Speaker of the Egyptian House of Representatives Hanafy Ali El-Gebaly and Chairman of the Egyptian Senate Abdel-Wahab Abdel-Razeq, Agerpres correspondentt to Cairo reports.
Romania supports Egypt’s efforts to find best solutions to crisis in Africa, Middle East
President Klaus Iohannis also said on Wednesday that Romania supports Egypt’s efforts in cooperation with international partners to identify the best solutions to the crises facing Africa and the Middle East.
“It is no coincidence that for both Romania and Europe, Egypt plays a privileged role. By positioning itself at the junction of Africa, the Middle East, and Europe, Egypt has a crucial role to play in maintaining security at the regional and global levels. Like Egypt, Romania too is interested in stabilizing the crisis situations in the Middle East and neighbouring areas, in the efficient management of the migration phenomenon, in promoting peace, stability, sustainable growth, and sustainable development. We support Egypt’s efforts, in cooperation with its international partners, in trying to identify the best solutions to the crises in Africa and the Middle East,” President Iohannis told a joint press conference held with his Egyptian counterpart, Abdel Fattah El-Sisi.
He underscored that “Romania has maintained, over time, a balanced position, in perfect agreement with the international law, in relation to all the crises that have affected the Middle East and which are still a major concern.”
“Romania continues to support the need for implementing confidence-building measures in Israeli-Palestinian relations. We also support the creation of conditions for the resumption of direct negotiations in order to advance the two-state solution, the only viable option likely to meet the legitimate aspirations of the parties and to ensure a long-lasting peace in the region. At the same time, Romania believes that finding a long-term solution to the Syrian crisis which, for more than 10 years, has caused huge tragedies to the Syrian people and generated a great wave of migration that has affected the stability and prosperity of host states as a priority. At the same time, Romania supports the processes of stabilization, institutional consolidation, and democratic transition in Libya and Iraq, and is deeply involved in the fight against terrorism, both within the anti-Daesh alliance and in the Sahel, a region on which the security of North Africa and Europe depends. And I am convinced that through our balanced and responsible approach to the complex challenges in the area, we will succeed, through combined efforts, in generating favourable contexts for the advancement of sustainable peace solutions,” said Iohannis.
Meetings with chairpersons of House of Representatives and Senate of Egypt reconfirm the excellent bilateral political-diplomatic dialogue
Romania’s head of state also met on Wednesday with the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hanafy Ali El-Gebaly, as well as with the Senate chairman of the Egyptian Parliament, Abdel-Wahab Abdel-Razeq.
According to the Presidential Administration, within the bilateral meeting with the two Egyptian officials, president Iohannis has gone over the very good stage of the political-diplomatic dialogue and approached, alongside the high ranking Egyptian officials, the perspectives of the bilateral relation, including from the perspective of stimulating and consolidating the political, diplomatic, parliamentary, sectorial and economic dialogue at all levels. The head of state congratulated the recent foundation of the parliamentary friendship group with Romania.
“The President of Romania reiterated our country’s support for the consolidation of the dialogue between the European Union and Egypt, highlighting the expansion opportunities of the EU-Egypt cooperation, offered by formats such as the EU-Egypt Association Council,” the Presidential Administration shows.
On the sidelines of the discussions president Iohannis reconfirmed the importance that Romania grants to the Middle East and Africa region and the necessity of its stability and security. In this context, the high ranking officials had an exchange of opinions regarding the current evolutions within the regional cases.
While in Cairo, president Iohannis also placed wreaths at the Monument of the Unknown Hero and at the grave of president Muhammad Anwar el-Sadat.
Compiled from reports of Agerpres correspondent in Cairo
Photo: www.presidency.ro
