Cairo: Egypt’s Minister of International Cooperation Rania Al-Mashat met with the Japanese Ambassador to Egypt Oka Hiroshi to discuss the development of joint relations and future cooperation opportunities between the two countries.
Hideki Matsunaga, Director General of the Middle East and Europe Department of the Japan Agency for International Cooperation; Kenichiro Kitamura, Principal Representative of the Dubai Office of the Japan Bank for International Cooperation; and Toyokazu Fukuyama, executive director of the Cairo Office of the Japan Foreign Trade Organization, also participated in the talks.
Al-Mashat highlighted the importance of high-level policy dialogue between the Egyptian and Japanese sides, an important objective for the Ministry of International Cooperation to be pursued by all multilateral and bilateral development partners.
He stressed the importance of the participation of the Japan Bank for International Cooperation and the Japan External Trade Organization in policy negotiations, as the volume of trade exchange and investment between the two countries is a good indicator of a strong relationship.
“We look forward to further synergy and joint action to overcome all challenges,” she said.
Al-Mashat noted the importance of coordinating with the private sector in both countries to enhance its role in the Egyptian-Japanese joint relationship and to increase its participation in development efforts.
He pointed to the holding of the second Egypt-International Cooperation Forum next September, which will be a gathering of African ministers of environment and finance to discuss a common approach.
Hiroshi said that Japan will continue to support sustainable development in Egypt according to its development needs through three priority areas: supporting sustainable economic development; assisting in social inclusion; and promoting education, human resource development and regional cooperation.
Hiroshi said that Japanese cooperation with the Egyptian government includes: Developing quality infrastructure; cooperation between the public and private sectors to generate clean energy; cooperation in the health sector; cooperation in food and agriculture; and cooperation in education and human resource development.
“We have great opportunities to enhance cooperation with the Egyptian government in the renewable energy sector and promote inclusive growth and localization of the industry,” he said.
Officials from the Japan Bank for International Cooperation made a presentation in Egypt on the joint work and efforts of the organization. This included a presentation of the Bank’s action plan for the medium term in Egypt for the period 2021-2023, aimed at increasing infrastructure efficiency, advancing the Sustainable Development Goals and supporting Egypt’s efforts to localize the industry. Is.
Fukuyama, executive director of the Cairo Office of the Japan Foreign Trade Organization, said that in addition to Japan’s official development assistance, Japanese private companies’ participation in products and technology and direct investment in projects have contributed to Egypt’s economic growth and social development. He emphasized the role of the trade organization in attracting the interest of Japanese companies to Egypt, particularly in strategic industries, through its role as a Japanese agency to promote trade and investment.
During his meeting with the Japanese International Cooperation Agency delegation, al-Mashat discussed important files within the framework of cooperation between the government and the agency, and projects to follow in the light of joint development efforts between the two countries.
Matsunaga, director of the Middle East and Europe section of the agency, praised the development efforts and what had been achieved in Egypt over the years, particularly in infrastructure, and for carrying out these projects despite the current exceptional world conditions. The potential of the Egyptian state.
Egypt has shown strong resilience in the face of these crises and has been able to achieve positive growth despite the impact of the region and most of the world from the successive crises.
“Currently, Japan and Egypt are discussing future projects in the power sector, technical support for the Suez Canal, comprehensive health insurance, and the Greater Cairo Metro, in addition to promoting the circular economy through single-use plastics. , according to the Egyptian Ministry of International Cooperation.
Cooperation between Egypt and Japan began in 1954, and the development cooperation portfolio is diverse in many areas. The current portfolio of economic cooperation between the two countries is approximately $2.8 billion, to implement 14 projects including health, power, transportation, navigation, education and irrigation.