Egypt, Nigeria Hold 3rd Round of Political Consultations at Ministerial Level

Badr Abdelatty, Egypt's Minister of Foreign Affairs and Migration, welcomed Yusuf Tuggar, Nigeria's Minister of Foreign Affairs, in Cairo today for the third round of political consultations between Egypt and Nigeria, held for the first time at the ministerial level.

The discussions were joined by Dr. Hani Sewilam, Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation, and Mr. Alaa Farouk, Minister of Agriculture and Land Reclamation.

Ambassador Tamim Khalaf, Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stated that Minister Abdel Aty praised the strong ties between Egypt and Nigeria, highlighting the diversity of their political, security, economic, and cultural cooperation. 

He underscored the importance of enhancing trade and investment relations to reflect both countries' leadership roles in Africa and their positions among the continent's largest economies.

Abdelatty emphasized the opportunity provided by these consultations to explore promising areas of cooperation and achieve a qualitative leap in bilateral relations. 

He highlighted the shared political will and commitment to strengthening coordination in all fields, including bilateral and multilateral cooperation, particularly in regional peace and security issues.

Abdelatty also pointed out to the shared challenges faced by both nations, including the cross-border threat of terrorism

FM also stressed the critical roles of Egypt and Nigeria in improving the African Union’s performance to meet the aspirations of African peoples. He called for continued consultations to advance the Union's agenda, especially in governance, budgeting, administration, and the deployment of the new AU mission in Somalia.

The consultations included an exchange of views on regional and international issues of mutual interest, notably the situation in the Horn of Africa, Red Sea maritime security, Somalia, and Sudan.

In this regard, Abdelatty also highlighted Egypt’s significant efforts in brokering a ceasefire in Gaza and facilitating the exchange of hostages and prisoners, emphasizing the importance of implementing all aspects of the agreement in the upcoming phases.

At the conclusion of the consultations, the two sides signed a joint declaration marking the third round of political consultations in Cairo. 

Additionally, an agreement was signed for mutual visa exemptions for holders of diplomatic passports.