According to the ministry, Shoukry expressed Egypt’s interest in boosting bilateral cooperation with Sweden, adding that the current development boom in Egypt provides a great opportunity for Swedish companies to consolidate their presence and investments, especially in the fields of telecommunications, IT, digital transformation, smart solutions, clean energy, education, and automotive manufacturing.

In a visit to Egypt in September 2021, Swedish Minister for Foreign Trade Anna Hallberg stated that Egypt is Sweden’s top trading partner in Africa and third largest partner in the Middle East, adding that more than 30 Swedish companies are currently working in Egypt.

In the same month, Egypt’s Minister of Industry and Trade Nevine El-Gamea stated that the volume of trade exchange between both countries hit about $913.4 million in 2020, up from 2019’s $734 million — an increase of 25 percent.

During his meeting with Linde, Shoukry also spoke about increasing Swedish tourism to Egypt.  

Furthermore, he discussed the latest developments Egypt is witnessing in all fields, especially in terms of sustainable economic practices amid the current global challenges.

The two top diplomats then agreed to continue working on boosting bilateral cooperation and to maintain consultation and coordination between their countries.

Shoukry, who is also the president-designate of the 2022 UN Conference of Parties on Climate Change (COP27), headed on Monday to Sweden’s Stockholm to take part in the sixth Ministerial on Climate Action (MoCA6).

The event — which is being co-hosted by Canada, the EU, and China — kicked off on 31 May, with several ministers and high-level representatives from around the world taking part in the event.