Egypt 'irreplaceable' partner to solve regional issues: German amb.

CAIRO – 13 November 2019: German Ambassador to Cairo Cyrill Nunn hailed on Wednesday the relations between his country and Egypt, stressing the important role played by Egypt in the region and the African continent.

“Egypt is an irreplaceable partner in [solving the crises in] Libya, Sudan and Gaza, and we constantly consult Egypt in different issues,” Nunn said in the first press conference since he assumed his post as ambassador to Cairo in August.

He explained that Germany’s initiative to host a conference about Libya this year aims at inviting all political actors in the conflict to reach specific solutions, adding “without Egypt’s involvement in the process, there will be no peace, because Egypt’s cooperation is of central importance.”

He pointed out that Germany relies on Egypt to contribute to the establishment of peace in Libya, assuring that both Egypt and Germany share the same interests in avoiding Libya’s turn into a source of turmoil to Egypt or Europe, and rather benefit from its own wealth.

Speaking about the illegal immigration crisis, Nunn thanked Egypt’s reliable and appreciated efforts to curb the flow of refugees to Europe.

He highlighted Germany’s assistance in many programs in Egypt, adding that Germany’s portfolio amounted to €1.7 billion.

He further cited that the number of German tourists coming to Egypt has witnessed an increase, hitting 1.8 million, adding that Lufthansa operates around 60 full flights to Cairo per week.

Regarding the cultural cooperation between the two countries, the ambassador said that the German Development Bank has built 900 schools, to which around 435,000 students enrolled. There are also seven accredited German schools, and 18 Egyptian schools that apply the German education system.

The German ambassador further highlighted Germany’s assistance in many programs of cooperation with specialized agencies to overcome the refugees’ problems in Egypt, such as the Resettlement program, which aims to transfer 1,600 refugees in Egypt to be resettled in Germany, with a priority to affected women and children.

Regarding the G20 summit set to be held next week in Berlin, the ambassador said that Egypt and Germany agreed on a German fund of €154 million, which will be signed in Berlin next week. He explained that this fund will be allocated to the fields of renewable energy, water management, solid waste and technical education.

The number of German companies working in Egypt amount to 1,183, employing 175,000 employees.

The conference also tackled the importance of the “Combact with Africa” initiative launched during Germany’s presidency of the G20 in 2017, contributing to Africa’s development.