Al-Mashat Receives Uzbekistan's Kuchkarov

Egypt's Minister of International Cooperation Rania Al-Mashat met with Uzbekistan's Deputy Prime Minister Jamshid Kuchkarov and his accompanying delegation, to discuss the best ways to strengthen bilateral cooperation as well as convening the seventh session of the Joint Committee on Economic, Scientific, and Technical Cooperation. 

This came in the light of the strong ties between the two countries, which are reflected in the high-level visits of the leaders of the two countries, according to a statement released by the ministry on Monday.

During the meeting, Al-Mashat emphasized the extended relations between the two sides and the importance of moving forward towards further expansion at all levels that promote common and mutual interests, pointing to the Agreement on Economic, Scientific, and Technical Cooperation since 1992, under which six sessions of the Joint Committee were held, the last in May 2009, chaired by the Ministry of International Cooperation, relevant parties from the Uzbek side, and Egypt’s determination to hold the seventh session of the Committee to deepen joint cooperation between the two sides.

The technical team of the Ministry of International Cooperation, in coordination with the Uzbek side and relevant national bodies, is working on preparations for the seventh session of the Committee, which is scheduled to be held this year, the statement noted.

The Minister also reviewed the role the Ministry plays in supporting and developing economic relations between the Arab Republic of Egypt and multilateral and bilateral development partners, through the framework of international cooperation and development finance, and joint committees, explaining that the current portfolio for development cooperation registers about $26 billion to strengthen the state's efforts to achieve the goals of inclusive and sustainable development.

Al-Mashat said that the Government of Egypt under the leadership of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, is always keen to strengthen relations with all brotherly countries, to meet development priorities and common interests, and stimulate efforts between the private sector, pointing to the importance of activating the joint Egyptian-Uzbekistan Business Council with the aim of stimulating trade relations and economic and investment relations between the two countries.

The joint committees are one of the mechanisms through which the Ministry of International Cooperation, in light of the role assigned to it, works to develop economic relations with many countries. 

They are held periodically with the aim of researching ways of promoting and developing bilateral relations in various fields and removing obstacles that prevent this, and supporting legal frameworks that will strengthen economic, scientific, and technical relations periodically.

Over the past year, Egypt's Minister carried out the preparation process for many joint committees for economic cooperation as well as preparatory meetings for the higher committees in order to move forward towards consolidating bilateral relations with friendly countries, where the Jordanian-Egyptian Ministerial Follow-up Committee was held in Amman, the Egyptian-Jordanian Committee in Cairo, the Egyptian-Azerbaijani Committee for Economic, Scientific and Technical Cooperation in the Azeri capital "Baku", the Egyptian-Tunisian Joint Higher Committee in Tunis, the Egyptian-Algerian Joint Higher Committee in Algeria, as well as the Egyptian-Sudanese Land Ports Committee. 

Moreover, an agreement was also signed to revive the Egyptian-Polish Joint Committee during the meeting between the Polish President and Egyptian President, Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, in Cairo.

It's worth mentioning that the President of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev is scheduled to visit the Arab Republic of Egypt for the first time after the visit of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi to the country in 2018 saw the expected increase in the number of close ties between the two countries.