Dr. Rania Al-Mashat, Minister of International Cooperation, received a high-level delegation from the Republic of Azerbaijan, which includes 22 officials, headed by Mr. Faraz Rajeev, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, and includes many officials from the government and private sectors in the fields of: digital development, transportation, investment promotion, renewable energy, petroleum, health, industry, and construction.
This is within the framework of the continued development of joint relations between the two countries in light of the keenness of the leadership of the two countries to continue strengthening joint efforts in a way that achieves mutual interests and supports development efforts through the close partnership between the two countries at the governmental level as well as the private sector.
The delegation was headed by the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan, and included Mr. Elkhan Polukhov, Ambassador of Azerbaijan to Egypt, Mr. Sarkhan Ajakishev, a representative from the Office of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Mr. Shahin Ismailov, Head of the International Cooperation Department of the Ministry of Digital Development and Transport, and Mr. Elmar Mammadov, Head of Department of Economic Cooperation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Vugar Panahov, from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Zohrab Gadirov, Deputy Executive Director of the Export and Investment Promotion Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Mr. Ismail Manafov, Deputy Chairman of the Board of Director at Alat Free Economic Zone, and Mr. Ashraf Shikhalev, Head of the International Cooperation Department of the Ministry of Energy, Mr. Farid Hasanov, Head in the Ministry of Health, in addition to representatives of the Azerbaijan Industrial Company and the Azerbaijani Matent Company, and representatives of the Azerbaijani Embassy in Egypt.
The Minister of International Cooperation began the meeting by welcoming the Azerbaijani delegation, stressing the appreciation of the Arab Republic of Egypt and its keenness to develop joint relations, which was demonstrated in many positions and meetings over the past years, most notably the visit made by President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi to the Republic of Azerbaijan in January 2023, as the first Egyptian president to visit the Republic of Azerbaijan, it represented a strong boost and confirmation of the strength of relations between the two countries. At the conclusion of the visit, three documents were signed in the areas: irrigation, culture and trade.
Egypt is Azerbaijan's gateway to Africa and the Middle East
For his part, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan expressed his country’s appreciation for the joint relations with Egypt, stressing his happiness with the visit made by President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi during the past year, which was a successful visit that represented a strong boost to relations between the two countries, as well as enhanced cooperation and the continuation of discussions between various parties where they agreed to expand the umbrella of joint relations to include many fields, pointing out that the visit of the Azerbaijani President to Egypt will serve as further confirmation of the depth and strength of relations between the two countries and a strong impetus towards translating the discussions into agreements on the ground.
New session of the Joint Committee
They discussed the preparations for the sixth session of the Egyptian-Azerbaijani Joint Committee in Cairo during the current year, after the successful holding of the fifth session, which was held in the capital, “Baku” in 2022, which resulted in the signing of 4 documents in Areas: small and medium enterprises, establishing the Egyptian-Azerbaijani Business Council, trade and investment cooperation, and maritime transport.
Strengthening Cooperation in Various Fields
The Minister of International Cooperation listened to the successful outcomes of the Azerbaijani delegation’s visit to Egypt, which are the fruits of the technical meetings that the Ministry of International Cooperation organized for representatives of the Azerbaijani delegation with representatives of Egyptian government agencies and ministries, in addition to Egyptian private sector companies such as: El Sewedy Companies, Arab Contractors, the Federation of Egyptian Industries, and the Export Council for Medical Industries, in the context of preparation for the upcoming visit of H.E. President Ilham Aliyev - President of the Republic of Azerbaijan to Egypt.
The delegation stated that the discussions included joint cooperation in the field of pharmaceutical manufacturing, exporting Egyptian medicines to the Republic of Azerbaijan, exporting food products between the two countries, cooperation in the field of maritime transport, transporting goods, increasing the volume of investments between the two countries, manufacturing electrical cables, and cooperation in the field of aviation.
In addition to cooperation between the two countries in the fields of construction, and the exchange of experiences in the field of oil and gas, chemical industries, and pesticide manufacturing, in addition to joint cooperation in the fields of: artificial intelligence, nanotechnology, and the transfer of Egyptian expertise to the Azerbaijani side in the fields of: green hydrogen and renewable energy technologies, as well as It also included opportunities to establish joint projects in the field of agriculture and chemicals.
The Minister of International Cooperation stressed the coordination efforts undertaken by the Ministry in cooperation with various relevant Egyptian ministries and agencies and various Azerbaijani ministries and government agencies, to end negotiations on various draft documents proposed between the Egyptian and Azerbaijani sides in several areas.
COP29 climate conference
On the other hand, the Azerbaijani delegation reviewed the efforts to prepare for the COP29 climate conference in the Republic of Azerbaijan, and the initiatives being prepared at the regional and international levels to enhance climate action, advance mitigation and adaptation efforts to climate change, and support developing countries in achieving their ambition to shift towards a green economy.
The Azerbaijani delegation also stressed the the private sector from both countries plays a pivotal role in supporting development efforts, especially in the field of renewable fluency, and they expressed great interest in moving forward with discussions with the Federation of Egyptian Industries and the Suez Canal Economic Zone, in a way that advances joint relations.
In this regard, Al-Mashat referred to the national platform of the NWFE Program - the nexus of between energy, food and water, which is a national program that represents an effective regional model and a soft financing approach to deal with issues of adaptation, mitigation and resilience, and the importance of the program as a model that can be replicated in developing and emerging countries in the field of Climate action.
It was agreed with the Azerbaijani side to share the Egyptian expertise in the field of climate financing with the Azerbaijani side, in addition to transferring the Egyptian government’s experience in launching the “Sharm El-Sheikh Guidebook for Just Financing,” which aims to provide a comprehensive road map to help developing countries attract the funds they need to implement a green transformation.
Hub for Advisory, Finance & Investment for Enterprises
The Minister of International Cooperation also informed the Azerbaijani side about the Ministry of International Cooperation launching the “Hub for Advisory, Finance & Investment for Enterprises” which works to bridge the information gap and enhance the benefit of private sector companies, whether large, small, medium or emerging companies, from the mechanisms and tools provided by all development partners.
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