Shoukry due in Spain later Tuesday

CAIRO - 13 February 2018: Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry will head for Spain later Tuesday on a two-day visit to boost bilateral ties, the ministry's spokesman said.

Shoukry is scheduled to meet with Spanish King Felipe VI, Foreign Minister Alfonso Dastis Quecedo alongside the defense minister and the presidents of the Congress of Deputies and Senate, Ahmed Abu Zeid said.

The top diplomat will also have talks with the secretary general of the World Tourism Organization (WTO) as well as a number of Spanish officials on means of enhancing bilateral cooperation in the political, economic and trade domains, Abu Zeid said.

The volume of trade exchange between the two countries stood at about dlrs 2 billion in 2017, he said, citing a boost of Spanish investments in Egypt in several fields, especially the energy score.

The talks are expected also to address main regional issues, including Egypt's efforts to settle the Libyan and Syrian crises and push forward the Middle East peace process.

The minister will then leave Spain for Munich to attend Munich Security Conference (MSC), slated for February 15 through 18.

The MSC agenda will focus in particular on the future role of the European Union as a global actor and its relations with Russia as well as the United States.

Shoukry will be the main speaker at the conference's session on combating terrorism.