Cairo: As part of efforts to strengthen economic and trade relations between the Arab Republic of Egypt and the United Kingdom, Minister Plenipotentiary for Trade, Dr. Abdel Aziz El-Sherif, First Undersecretary of the Ministry and Head of the ARRM Office, held a coordination meeting with a number of relevant Egyptian national authorities in preparation for the upcoming meeting of the Egyptian-British Agricultural Review Mechanism (ARM) Working Group, scheduled for the end of October.

According to State Information Service Egypt, this meeting is part of ongoing preparations for the upcoming visit of the British Prime Minister to Cairo in the fall of 2025. This visit is expected to represent an important step towards elevating bilateral relations between the two countries to the level of a comprehensive strategic partnership.

The coordination meeting addressed ways to support agricultural and trade cooperation and follow up on common priority issues, particularly in the field of agricultural products, which are witnessing increasing demand in the British market.

The Head of the Egyptian Commercial Service (ECS) explained that the volume of trade exchange between Egypt and the United Kingdom in 2024 amounted to approximately £2.9 billion, including Egyptian exports worth £1.4 billion and imports from the United Kingdom worth £1.5 billion. British investments in Egypt amounted to approximately £20.6 billion by the end of February 2025, through 2,103 companies operating in various economic sectors.

El-Sherif emphasized that the efforts made within the framework of the Agricultural Review Mechanism will increase access to Egyptian agricultural exports and attract more British companies to invest in the Egyptian market, given the country's promising opportunities and attractive investment climate.

The meeting was attended by Ambassador Wael Hamed, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for European Affairs, and representatives from the Customs Authority, the Central Administration of Agricultural Quarantine, and the Central Administration of Veterinary Quarantine at the Ministry of Agriculture. The meeting was also attended by Minister Plenipotentiary for Trade Rasha Galal, Director of the European Union Affairs Department, and First Commercial Secretary Mona Abboud from the European Union Affairs Department at the Egyptian Commercial Representation.