Security threats, green hydrogen on top of talks between Egyptian President, Austrian chancellor

CAIRO – 27 April 2023: President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi received Thursday Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer at Al Itihadiyah Presidential Palace to hold talks, and later, they held a joint press conference.

 

President Sisi said that the meeting tackled potential cooperation in the sectors of transportation, manufacturing, renewable energy, and green hydrogen with the aim of significantly expanding the size of bilateral trade and boosting Austrian investments in Egypt.

In another context, the president added he had highlighted to Chancellor Nehammer that Egypt's communications pertaining to the Sudanese crisis were advocating dialogue and peaceful settlement.

The other regional issues discussed are the Libyan crisis, Palestinian Cause, and the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD). The two chiefs of state also exchanged views on the illegal migration phenomenon. In that regard, the Egyptian president stipulated the necessity of devising mechanisms for legal migration.

President Sisi also noted that he had briefed the Austrian chancellor on the war on terror and extremism Egypt fought over the past years, and that required big sacrifices from the Egyptian people.

The president also thanked Chancellor Nehammer on the official invitation to visit Austria.

On his side, the Austrian chancellor said that the prospective visit by President Sisi to Austria would be very important, given that Egypt is a key country in the production of green hydrogen as more agreements would be signed.  

The chancellor stated that the agreements signed during his visit to Cairo are in the sectors of transportation, irrigation and agriculture among others.

With regard to security challenges, Chancellor Nehammer said that Austria needed to learn about the experience of Egypt on the front of dealing with terrorism and Political Islam. He added that combating human smuggling constitutes a burden on Egyptian security agencies, which requires cooperation between the state institutions of both countries. That includes the processing of asylum and migration requests, and drawing a line between them.