By Manal Abdel Fattah
Ambassador Ahmed Abu Zeid, the official spokesman and Director of the Public Diplomacy Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stated that the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sameh Shoukry, will go on Sunday, January 21, to the Belgian capital, Brussels, on a working visit to head the Egyptian delegation at the tenth meeting of the Egyptian-European Union Participation Council, It will be held under the chairmanship of Minister Shukri and Mr. Josep Borrell, Vice-President of the Commission and High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, and with the participation of a number of foreign ministers of European Union countries.
Ambassador Abu Zeid explained that holding the tenth meeting of the Participation Council this year is of special importance in light of its coincidence with the 20th anniversary of the entry into force of the Association Agreement between Egypt and the European Union, which represents the general framework that regulates the relationship between the two sides, and the reference for bilateral cooperation in various fields. Political, economic, commercial, cultural and others. The Participation Council also represents the most comprehensive framework for following up on the implementation of the Egyptian-European Partnership Agreement and benefiting from the ambitious framework of the participation priorities document signed between the two sides for the period 2021-2027.
The Participation Council is also scheduled to witness the signing of a framework agreement that will allow Egypt to benefit from more European Union technical programs, especially in the fields of education and scientific research.
The official spokesman added that the activities of the visit will also include a working breakfast for the Minister of Foreign Affairs with the foreign ministers of the European Union countries, where topics related to ways to enhance bilateral cooperation, follow up on the implementation of joint programs and projects between Egypt and the European Union, and consultation and exchange of visions on the current regional crises will be discussed, most importantly. The war in the Gaza Strip, the situation in Sudan, Somalia, Libya, and the security of the Red Sea. Minister Shukri is also scheduled to hold a series of bilateral meetings with a number of foreign ministers of European Union countries, and European commissioners concerned with neighborhood policies, economy, energy, migration, climate, humanitarian affairs, crisis management, and others. He will also meet with the President of the European Parliament and the Secretary General of NATO.
On the other hand, the Foreign Ministry spokesman revealed that Mr. Sameh Shoukry will also participate in a meeting of the foreign ministers of Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia and the Secretary-General of the League of Arab States with the High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy of the European Union and a number of foreign ministers of the Union’s member states, in order to consult on developments in the crisis in Gaza. And the future of the Palestinian issue, in addition to efforts to contain escalation in the Middle East region.
