Egypt, Albania sign three documents to boost bilateral cooperation
Newspaper Title: https://english.ahram.org.eg/
Newspaper Number:
Saturday - 23 October 2021
Egypt and Albania inked three cultural cooperation documents at the conclusion of an extended discussions session held in Cairo on Saturday to discuss ways to enhance cooperation between both countries.
The documents, signed in the presence of the Egyptian and Albanian prime ministers and other high-level officials, included an executive programme for cooperation between the Egyptian and the Albanian culture ministries.
The second document is a protocol for cooperation between the General Egyptian Book Organisation and the Albanian Ministry of Culture, while the third is a memorandum of understanding for cooperation in the field of museums between the Supreme Council of Antiquities in Egypt and the National History Museum in Albania.
Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly and his Albanian counterpart Edi Rama, who co-chaired the session, witnessed the signing of the cooperation accords.
According to a statement by the Egyptian cabinet, Madbouly ordered the bodies concerned to study a suggestion made by the Albanian side to operate direct flights between Cairo and Tirana.
Madbouly said Egypt has expertise in several fields, atop of which are energy, transport, electricity, natural gas and infrastructure.
Madbouly expressed his hope that both countries efforts to support economic, trade and investment relations would lead to the establishment of a joint business council between the Egyptian Businessmen Association and the Albanian Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry.
Egyptian-Albanian Committee for Economic, Scientific and Technical Cooperation is set to hold its first meeting in Tirana in November 2021.
Rama also expressed his aspiration to benefit from the Egyptian experience in organising exhibitions, hosting cultural events and improving education.
Rama urged enhancing rates of trade exchange between Egypt and Albania, stressing the importance of cooperation in several fields, including agriculture, livestock, water, culture, education and others.
Identical views on regional issues
Earlier Saturday, Rama held a meeting with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi, where they discussed a host of regional and international issues as well as the means to boost economic relations between Cairo and Tirana.
During the meeting, El-Sisi congratulated Albania on its election as a non-permanent seat at the United Nations Security Council for the 2022-2023 term.
El-Sisi also highlighted identical views Egypt shares with the southeastern European country on most regional and international issues, a statement by Egyptian Presidential Spokesman Bassam Rady said.
The Egyptian president stressed to Rama that holding periodical political consultations between the two countries is important in light of Albania's efforts to promote peace and stability in the Balkan region as well as its "active" role in addressing international crises.
Rama expressed his country's aspiration to promote bilateral cooperation with Egypt, especially amid "Egypt's strenuous efforts to promote international peace and security."
He praised "Egypt's pivotal role at the regional level in the Middle East and Mediterranean basin," the statement added.
El-Sisi and Rama also agreed on the importance of maintaining stability in the eastern Mediterranean region and respecting the sovereignty of the states regarding their natural resources on their lands and their economic zones as per the rules of international law and the principles of good neighbourliness.
