In Pics: Shoukry says Egypt, China have strong desire to develop relations

CAIRO - 19 July 2020: Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said on Sunday that both Egyptian and Chinese political leaderships have a strong desire to continue joint action to develop relations in various fields.

Speaking to reporters following a session of talks with China's State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Shoukry said both Cairo and Beijing have two great civilizations adding the two sides work on achieving international and regional stability and security.

He added that his talks with his Chinese counterpart focused on means of promoting relations between the two countries, pointing out that an agreement was reached to continue political and strategic talks to serve the interests of both countries.

 

The two stressed the importance of developing cooperation between the two countries to carry out mega national projects in Egypt.

During a session of talks, the two ministers pressed for promoting economic cooperation, focusing on means of reinforcing commercial relations and increasing Egypt’s exports to China.

They also signed an agreement to form a joint government cooperation committee, which will help orient, evaluate and review the course of cooperation between the two countries in various fields.

Meanwhile, Shoukry thanked China for providing support for Egypt to curb the spread of coronavirus, citing an ongoing project for the production of Sinovac vaccines in Egypt.

He further expressed Egypt's desire to continue this fruitful cooperation in order to help Africa face the economic and health repercussions of this pathogen.

Speaking about the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, Shoukry stressed the need for preserving the water interests of all parties, warning of any attempt to harm the water security of the downstream countries, i.e. Egypt and Sudan.

He also called on Ethiopia to engage in AU-sponsored negotiations to reach a binding legal agreement to fill and operate the dam that takes into account the interests of all parties.

The two top diplomats also called for reaching a just and lasting solution for the Palestinian cause as the central issue in the Middle East region in line with international resolutions.