Rome: Minister of Agriculture and Land Reclamation Alaa Farouk met with the Director of the Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Bari (CIHEAM Bari), Maurizio Raeli, to explore avenues for enhancing scientific cooperation in agricultural research between the institute and Egypt's Agricultural Research Centre.

According to State Information Service Egypt, the meeting was held on the sidelines of a high-level regional conference in Bari, Italy, in support of the FAO's NENA plant health strategy. Both parties emphasized the importance of signing a proposed memorandum of understanding between CIHEAM and the Agricultural Research Centre. This agreement would facilitate Egyptian researchers from national research institutions to pursue master's and doctoral degrees through scholarships provided by CIHEAM, and to initiate joint agricultural research projects to improve the skills and capacities of Egyptian scientists.

Additionally, Raeli expressed interest in organizing a significant event in Egypt to honor Egyptian alumni who have previously studied at CIHEAM. Minister Farouk responded positively to this initiative, proposing that the event be hosted in one of Egypt's tourist cities.