Egyptian, Norwegian FMs address regional, international issues

CAIRO – 12 June 2025: Egyptian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigration Badr Abdelatty, met with Minister of Foreign Affairs of Norway, Espen Barth Eide, on the sidelines of the Oslo Forum to discuss ways to enhance bilateral relations between Egypt and Norway, and to address regional and international issues of mutual interest.

Minister Abdelatty praised the positive developments witnessed in Egyptian-Norwegian relations on both the political and economic levels, noting the meetings and communications that have taken place between the President of the Republic and the Norwegian Prime Minister, most recently the President's visit to Norway in December 2024. 

Minister Abdelatty also welcomed the convening of a round of political consultations between the two countries in activation of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed during the presidential visit, expressing aspiration to maintain the regularity of political consultations at all levels to elevate the level of bilateral relations.

Minister Abdelatty further welcomed the economic cooperation between the two countries, particularly in the field of renewable energy, expressing anticipation for the continuation of the implementation of the projects of the Norwegian company Scatec in Egypt and the commencement of new projects that would contribute to increasing Norwegian investments in Egypt. 

He also referred to the necessity of enhancing trade exchange between the two countries, highlighting the importance of encouraging the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation and the Norwegian Investment Fund for Developing Countries to explore the possibility of increasing their financing of Norwegian companies operating in Egypt and financing new companies in the fields of clean energy and aquaculture to benefit from the recent economic reforms in Egypt. Minister Abdelatty expressed keenness on tripartite cooperation in Africa, in light of Norway’s issuance of a special African strategy in August 2024.

The two ministers exchanged views on several regional issues, most importantly the situation in the Gaza Strip. Minister Abdelatty valued Norway’s supportive stance of the rights of the Palestinian people and its advocacy of the principles of international law. He reviewed the efforts undertaken by Egypt to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza and to ensure the entry of humanitarian aid to alleviate the severity of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, affirming the need to consolidate international efforts to enable the Palestinian people to obtain their legitimate rights, foremost of which is the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on the June 4, 1967 lines, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

The meeting also touched upon the situation in Sudan, where Minister Abdelatty affirmed Egypt’s supportive position of preserving Sudan’s unity, stability, and national institutions.

Cooperation with Scatec

In a separate meeting, Abdelatty, met on Wednesday, June 11, with the CEO of the Norwegian company Scatec, Terje Pilskog. Minister Abdelatty emphasized the importance of building upon the outcomes of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi’s visit to Norway in December 2024 and strengthen cooperation with the Norwegian company Scatec. 

He affirmed Egypt’s full support for the company's projects in Egypt, which contribute to enhancing trade and investment relations between Egypt and Norway, expressing aspiration to increase the company's investment volume in Egypt and to implement the company's project to export clean electricity to Europe.

Minister Abdelatty also reviewed the policies adopted by Egypt to empower the private sector and attract foreign direct investment, affirming Egypt’s interest in supporting foreign companies operating in Egypt, including Scatec, whose projects align with the Egyptian state’s direction towards transitioning to a green economy and transforming Egypt into a global hub for the production of green hydrogen. Minister Abdelatty further pointed to the aspiration for a trilateral cooperation with the Norwegian company in Africa to implement development projects, particularly in the field of renewable energy.