Cairo: During his visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Engineer Kamel El-Wazir, Deputy Prime Minister for Industrial Development and Minister of Industry and Transport, along with Engineer Saleh bin Nasser Al-Jasser, Saudi Minister of Transport and Logistics Services, visited the Riyadh Metro.
According to State Information Service Egypt, the minister was briefed on the operation and management of the metro system in Riyadh. Engineer Kamel El-Wazir, Engineer Saleh bin Nasser Al-Jasser, and their accompanying delegation took a ride on the metro. The Deputy Prime Minister for Industrial Development and Minister of Industry and Transport emphasized the importance of metro projects in facilitating citizen movement, highlighting it as an environmentally friendly mass transport solution. He referred to the directives of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi regarding the expansion of sustainable green mass transport systems and the completion of the metro network to provide high service levels to passengers.
Following the conclusion of his visit to the Riyadh Metro, Engineer Kamel El-Wazir met with Engineer Khalil bin Ibrahim Al-Salem, Deputy Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources for Industrial Affairs in Saudi Arabia, to discuss ways to enhance cooperation and mutual integration in the industrial sector. The meeting was attended by Ihab Abu-Sreih, Ambassador of the Arab Republic of Egypt in Riyadh, Major General Nihad Shaheen, Deputy Minister of Transport for Maritime Transport, and Engineer Mohamed Fathy, Assistant Minister for Maritime Transport.
At the beginning of the meeting, Engineer Khalil bin Ibrahim welcomed Engineer Kamel El-Wazir and conveyed the greetings of Mr. Bandar bin Ibrahim Al-Khorayef, Saudi Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources, who was out of the Kingdom on an official mission. He affirmed the great importance that the Saudi government places on increasing the volume of joint cooperation with Egypt in the field of industry. This was welcomed by the Deputy Prime Minister for Industrial Development and Minister of Industry and Transport, who stressed the significance of this collaboration for achieving a leap in industrial integration between the two countries and in supporting their national economies.
Engineer Kamel El-Wazir confirmed that Egypt is working to localize various industries to transform the country into a regional industrial hub, aligning with the directives of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi. He noted that Egypt has factories for manufacturing rolling stock, including the Siemens Mobility factory, and is also producing marine locomotives and railway tracks, especially with the implementation of the high-speed electric train network and the development of 10,000 km of railway.
He added that industries such as iron and aluminum, automotive glass, tyres for passenger vehicles, solar energy units, water lifting pumps, water desalination and treatment stations, dairy products like infant formula, and automotive manufacturing could serve as areas for joint cooperation. He stressed that Egypt is ready to cooperate in these industries, given the promising market in Egypt and the potential for local manufacturing with the availability of skilled labour.
He pointed out that industrial integration between Egypt and Saudi Arabia would facilitate the operation of Egyptian companies in the Saudi market and attract Saudi investments to the Egyptian market. This would establish factories there to meet local market needs and export abroad, especially to African countries. He noted the ongoing implementation of several land, rail, and maritime connectivity initiatives with African nations, highlighting connections with Sudan, Libya, Chad, and Jordan.
At the conclusion of the meeting, there was an emphasis on intensifying the efforts of specialists from both sides in the upcoming period to achieve a significant leap in industrial cooperation and integration.