The recent meeting between the Egyptian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Emigration and Egyptians Abroad, Badr Abdelatty, and his Canadian counterpart, Mélanie Joly, highlighted the strong bilateral relations between Egypt and Canada, ahead of the celebration of the 70th anniversary of the establishment of their diplomatic relations this year.
During this meeting on the sidelines of the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stressed the desire of the two countries to strengthen their cooperation, particularly in the economic fields. Badr Abdelatty highlighted Egypt’s economic development efforts and stressed the need to encourage Canadian investors to seize the promising opportunities in the Egyptian market, highlighting the favorable economic climate in Egypt and the internationally recognized structural reform measures taken by the country.
The ministers agreed to give new impetus to bilateral relations and push them towards broader horizons, while continuing to promote cooperation in various fields. They stressed the importance of facilitating trade and tourism exchanges and increasing academic and scientific cooperation between universities of the two countries.
A notable point of the discussion was the cancellation of measures requiring Canadian citizens to apply for a visa in advance before travelling to Egypt, an announcement expected soon according to the Egyptian minister.
Regional developments and international issues of mutual interest were also discussed, including the situation in Israel vis-à-vis the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. Badr Abdelatty highlighted Egypt’s considerable efforts to end the Israeli aggression and end the occupation, ensure the flow of humanitarian aid to the Palestinians and work towards the establishment of a Palestinian state on all Palestinian lands.
The two ministers also discussed the crisis in Sudan and Israel’s unjustified military escalations against Lebanon. The meeting was an opportunity for the two dignitaries to discuss ways to strengthen ties between the two nations and help Egyptian-Canadians stay connected to their homeland, while working to overcome potential obstacles.