Vice Minister of the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs visited Cairo | CPT PPP Coverage

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News item | 22-03-2023 | 14:35

The Vice Minister held bilateral consultations with the Egyptian Assistant Minister for European Affairs, Ihab Nasr and was joined by the two countries’ delegations. The two sides discussed ways to strengthen the partnership between Egypt and The Netherlands in various fields, particularly in trade relations, migration cooperation, human rights, gender , water management, and regional affairs.  

In the area of economic and trade relations, both sides agreed to tackle any barriers that might impede investments and cooperation. Egypt and the Netherlands have been working together for over 40 years especially in the field of water. Climate issues are becoming more imminent as well as sustainable energy, including green hydrogen. Given the special geographical location of Egypt, and  the fact that green hydrogen is a key element in the energy transition, both sides expressed the ambition to explore ways to collaborate on this.  Other potential areas of cooperation, such as ICT, agriculture, maritime and port development, were also discussed.

The  Vice Minister expressed the appreciation from the Netherlands to Egypt for hosting large numbers of refugees and vulnerable migrants and for the efforts in combatting irregular migration. The discussion on the way forward for the bilateral migration dialogue was fruitful and will be continued with a visit of the Special Envoy on Migration, technical missions on various thematic areas and subsequently a next round of bilateral migration dialogue with the Minister for Migration of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

The Netherlands values the efforts with regard to the implementation of the National Human Rights Strategy that was launched in September 2021 and is looking forward to continue its support in the implementation process. In addition, the Netherlands called for the importance of independent media platforms and safety of journalists. Both parties agreed to focus on themes where strengthened cooperation is possible. At the same time, the Vice Minister emphasized that this should go hand in hand with a transparent and open dialogue where also sensitive topics can be discussed. The importance of women’s rights and gender equality remains a priority for both countries.

Furthermore, the two sides touched upon a number of regional developments, including Libya,  Syria, the GERD and the African affairs. The  Vice Minister commended the constructive role Egypt plays in the Middle East Peace process. Lastly, the Vice Minister expressed concerns about the Russian Federation’s aggression against Ukraine, which has created also severe global challenges, such as the current food and energy crises, and emphasized on the need to tackle these issues via strong joint efforts.  

After the political consultations, the Vice Minister visited Al Azhar where he met with the Deputy of the Grand Imam, Dr. Mohamed El -Duweini and talked about the importance of freedom of religion and belief and respect for religion.