Shoukry, Mogherini discuss stalled negotiations on GERD's

CAIRO - 1 December 2017: Minister of Foreign Affairs Sameh Shoukry reviewed the freeze on the technical file of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) during his meeting on Friday with EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini.

The meeting was held on the sidelines of their participation in the Mediterranean Dialogues forum in Rome.

During the meeting, Shoukry asserted the importance of finalizing studies about the possible impacts of the dam as per the set timeline.

The talks also touched on the framework of relations between Egypt and the European Union that are based on strategic partnership, given that the EU is the main trading and development partner for Egypt, Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid said in a statement.

In this regard, the spokesman said the volume of trade exchange between Egypt and the EU is nearly 30 billion euros, adding that direct investments between the two sides are more than 45 billion euros.

Figuring high during the meeting were also the regional issues, particularly the situation in Libya and its impacts on humanitarian conditions of African immigrants.

On that score, the two sides exchanges viewpoints with regard to efforts that can be exerted by the African Union, the European Union and the United Nations to resolve the situation in cooperation and coordination with Libyan authorities.