Al-Mashat Meets with Romania’s Deputy Minister of Economy 

The Minister of International Cooperation, Rania Al-Mashat, meets with Daniela Nicolescu, Deputy Minister of Economy, Tourism and Entrepreneurship of Romania, in the presence of the Ambassador of Romania in Cairo, Mihai Ștefan Stuparu, to begin preparations for the fourth session of the Egyptian-Romanian Joint Committee for Economic, Scientific and Technical Cooperation, which is expected to be held next year, in addition to the business forum to be held within the activities of the committee's work.

During the meeting, Al-Mashat emphasized the importance of preparing and coordinating the activities of the joint committee between the two countries in order to achieve the desired results for the prosperity of the two countries, noting Egypt's keenness to strengthen and develop its relations with development partners to achieve Egypt’s vision 2030.

Al-Mashat pointed to the importance of advancing cooperation with Romania in various sectors, as Egypt is Romania's first partner in Africa and the Middle East, and Romania is considered to be a gateway to enter Europe for Egypt to enter Europe.

The Minister of International Cooperation reviewed Egypt’s homegrown reform program that has been implemented since 2016, and the development that took place in the last seven years, which enabled Egypt to push ahead and maintain economic growth despite the COVID-19 pandemic.

Al-Mashat added that the reforms also helped the state to shift from the energy deficit to export it to neighboring countries with countries that include Iraq, Libya, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Cyprus and Greece, as a result of the reforms implemented in the sector, in addition to developing a sustainable energy strategy that aims to increase renewable energy in the energy mix to reach 42% by 2035.

Echoing the state’s vision, the Ministry of International Cooperation embarked on an ambitious strategy to fund various projects by development partners with the participation of the private sector, such as the Benban Solar Project, the largest solar energy plant in the region and one of the largest plants in the world, as well as plans to benefit from green hydrogen.

Al-Mashat shed light on major transportation projects to connect Greater Cairo with the new cities and the New Administrative Capital, as well as industrial zones, to provide a sustainable infrastructure that enhances citizens' mobility.

[caption id="attachment_293367" align="alignnone" width="1024"] The Minister of International Cooperation, Rania Al-Mashat, meets with Daniela Nicolescu, Deputy Minister of Economy, Tourism and Entrepreneurship of Romania[/caption]

Egypt is also repositioning into a regional energy center through the launch of the Eastern Mediterranean Gas Forum, in addition to efforts to develop and digitize education, as well as plans to expand social protection programs and expand water and sanitation projects in order to preserve water resources and enhance sustainability.

Al-Mashat referred to Egypt's hosting of the United Nations Climate Change Conference COP27 next year, on behalf of Africa, which is an opportunity to deepen and strengthen international partnerships to accelerate the green economy transition, and to share success stories in renewable energy, water, and digitization.

Al-Mashat also spoke about reinvigorating the role of the private sector through international partnerships, in light of the global focus of many development partners to support the private sector, as well as providing technical support to enhance the commitment of private sector companies with ESG principles and standards.

For her part, Romania’s Deputy Minister of Economy, Tourism and Entrepreneurship expressed Romania's keenness to make progress in enhancing joint relations with Egypt in many areas of common interest, referring to the importance of the Suez Canal Economic Zone and the prospects of inaugurating a Romanian industrial zone in the region.

The Romanian Deputy Minister of Economy, Tourism and Entrepreneurship also shed light on the importance of cooperation in the field of tourism, reflecting Romania’s distinct expertise in the field of medical tourism, and praised the cooperation between Romania and the Arab Organization for Industrialization in the furniture industry.

Romania’s Deputy Minister of Economy, Tourism and Entrepreneurship is visiting Cairo as part of Romania’s participation in the Egyptian Defense Exhibition EDEX from November 27 to December 3, 2021. The joint committees chaired and prepared by the Ministry of International Cooperation are among the activities of economic diplomacy to enhance joint economic relations between the two countries.