Egypt wants to cement its ties with Germany, particularly on the economic and commercial levels by increasing German investments in Egypt, President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi told his German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
El-Sisi, who is on an official visit to Germany to co-chair the 13th edition of the Petersburg Climate Dialogue, was received earlier today by Steinmeier at the presidential palace in Berlin.
During the meeting, El-Sisi said that Germany is one of Egypt’s most important European partners, Egyptian Presidential Spokesman Bassam Rady said in a statement following the meeting.
El-Sisi highlighted the opportunities available in the Egyptian market, including the modern infrastructure and improvements in the business performance climate.
Steinmeier praised Egypt’s development projects, stressing Germany's keenness to support its efforts in all fields by exchanging experience and joint investments.
The two leaders discussed a host of regional and international issues of mutual concern, focusing on the crises in Ukraine, Libya, and Yemen.
El-Sisi affirmed the Egyptian stance based on supporting the national institutions of the countries in crisis to end the suffering of their peoples and help fill the vacuum that has allowed terrorist groups to proliferate.
Steinmeier said Egypt plays a pivotal role in consolidating stability in the Middle East and Africa.
They also tackled the Palestinian issue and stressed the need to reach a just and comprehensive solution to the long-standing conflict in accordance with the provisions of international references, Rady noted.
President El-Sisi is scheduled to hold several meetings with a host of German officials during this visit, including with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, to discuss means of boosting bilateral ties.
On Sunday, El-Sisi met Peter Lürssen, owner and board chairman of German boatbuilder Lürssen, to discuss ongoing cooperation in the maritime industry.
The Egyptian ambassador to Berlin Khaled Galal had earlier explained to MENA that hundreds German companies are currently operating or have regional offices in Egypt.
The ambassador pointed out that there is a high-level program for technical cooperation between the two countries amounting to 160 million euros annually to implement development projects in the fields of water, sewage, and education in Egypt.
Galal also noted that the German side hailed the infrastructure development that is currently taking place in Egypt, referring to the cooperation in the Siemens project to construct the high-speed train at a total cost of eight billion euros.
Meanwhile, the Egyptian Minister of Trade and Industry Niveen Gamea said in previous statements that the volume of trade exchange between the two countries totalled 5.1 billion euros in 2021 adding that German investments in Egypt amount to about 2.9 billion euros.
