Shoukry hails Egypt's historical relations with African countries

CAIRO - 12 June 2019: Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry hailed Egypt's deeply-rooted ties with African countries during a ceremony held in commemoration of Africa Day, which marks the anniversary of the founding of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) on May 25, 1963.

According to a Tuesday statement by Foreign Ministry spokesman Ahmed Hafez, the minister said that this year's ceremony is of special importance due to Egypt's 2019 chairmanship of the African Union (AU), noting that Egypt focuses on achieving sustainable development and establishing peace and stability throughout the continent.

Hafez's statement reported that Shoukry highlighted the need to promote inter-African cooperation to attain the aspirations of African peoples.

The ceremony was attended by the ambassadors of African countries along with public figures and senior ministry officials.

For his side, Ambassador of Cameroon in Cairo Mohamad ouLabarang talked about the challenges and opportunities of development in Africa, stressing the need for joint work to achieve sustainable development, and calling for following the footsteps of the founding fathers of African national liberation movements.

In the same context, Shoukry underscored the role of the Egyptian Agency of Partnership for Development (EAPD) in supporting the development efforts in Africa through transferring expertise and qualifying cadres in the fields of priority to the African states.

Shoukry met on March 13 with the members of the Board of Directors of EAPD. The meeting tackled ways to enhance the role of the agency in supporting development in many countries, especially in Africa.

Shoukry affirmed that Egypt, as the current chairman of the African Union (AU), is keen to promote comprehensive development in the continent, Foreign Ministry spokesman Hafez said.