Giza: Ambassador of Belarus to Egypt Sergei Terentiev has announced that bilateral cooperation between Belarus and Egypt has achieved significant success across multiple sectors, including trade, economy, culture, military, industry, tourism, and education. This statement was made on Tuesday, 19 November 2024, emphasizing the strong ties and promising future of relations between the two countries during a press briefing with Egyptian journalists and media representatives at the Belarusian Embassy in Giza.
According to State Information Service Egypt, Ambassador Terentiev highlighted the importance of high-level visits in strengthening Belarusian-Egyptian relations. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko visited Egypt in 1998, 2017, and 2020, while Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi made his first visit to Minsk in 2019. Additionally, Prime Minister Roman Golovchenko’s visit to Egypt in 2024 marked another milestone in fostering bilateral cooperation.
Terentiev announced the formation of a High-Level
Commission on Political Dialogue and Bilateral Cooperation, which will involve the foreign ministers of both countries and aims to deepen the strategic partnership. He also mentioned that an industrial delegation led by Belarus’s first deputy minister of industry is expected to visit Egypt on 25 December to discuss industrial cooperation.
In terms of economic ties, Terentiev described Egypt as Belarus’s key partner in the Middle East and Africa, referring to it as the “gateway to Africa.” Despite global economic challenges, bilateral trade reached $150 million before the pandemic, with a trade imbalance favoring Belarus. Belarus’s exports to Egypt include metal products, tractors, trucks, agricultural and construction equipment, high-tech products, and dairy products, while Egyptian exports to Belarus consist of fruits, vegetables, medicines, and textiles.
The two countries have held several high-level meetings in 2023, including the seventh session of the Belarusian-Egyptian Joint Trade Commission. This se
ssion covered topics such as trade, industry, higher education, pharmaceuticals, petrochemicals, and logistics. Terentiev noted the potential impact of a Free Trade Agreement between Egypt and the Eurasian Economic Union on strengthening economic ties.
Educational and technological collaboration is another area of focus in Belarus-Egypt relations, with agreements in place to enhance academic exchange, research collaboration, and technology transfer. Belarus serves as a hub for international education, hosting students from over 100 countries, including Egypt.
Cultural ties have also flourished, exemplified by events like “Egyptian-Belarusian Relations – Cultural and Civilizational Bridges,” organized in collaboration with Egypt’s Supreme Council for Culture and Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This event showcased Belarusian history, traditions, and cuisine, receiving positive feedback. Cooperation between the National Academic Bolshoi Opera and Ballet Theatre of Belarus and the Cairo Opera House has expanded,
with plans for reciprocal performances in Minsk and Cairo.
Sports cooperation is developing as well, with efforts underway to organize competitions between the two nations’ teams in judo, kickboxing, weightlifting, and sports medicine.
Tourism remains a cornerstone of the bilateral relationship, with over 100,000 Belarusian tourists visiting Egypt in 2023. Efforts are being made to enhance air travel connectivity, including seasonal flights by Belarusian airline Belavia on the Minsk-Alamein route and plans to expand flight destinations.
Ambassador Terentiev concluded by stating that the aviation ministries of Belarus and Egypt are working on expanding the flight route map, introducing new destinations, resuming regular flights between the capitals, boosting tourist exchanges, and strengthening ties between the two countries.
Source: State Information Service Egypt