Addis ababa: Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation, and Egyptian Expatriates Badr Abdelatty emphasized the importance of cooperation and integration among Nile Basin countries to achieve mutual benefits and shared interests. The top diplomat made the remarks during a meeting with Ugandan Foreign Minister Henry Okello on the sidelines of the African Union Summit meetings in Addis Ababa on Thursday, February 12, 2026.
According to State Information Service Egypt, the meeting addressed ways to strengthen relations between the two countries. Abdelatty reiterated the importance of adhering to the spirit of brotherhood among Southern Nile Basin countries to restore inclusivity to the Nile Basin Initiative and reject unilateral actions in the Eastern Nile Basin. He welcomed the steps taken in the consultative process approved by the Nile Basin Initiative’s Council of Ministers to restore inclusivity and consensus and to implement development projects that achieve common interests in accordance with international law, preserving the interests of all Nile Basin countries.
Abdelatty extended his congratulations to his Ugandan counterpart on President Yoweri Museveni’s victory in the presidential elections and his re-election for a new term. He affirmed the mutual interest in strengthening bilateral relations in various fields and noted the importance of swiftly convening the third round of political and technical consultations between the two countries in Kampala within the coming period. He stressed the need to continue working to elevate economic relations and increase the volume of trade exchange between the two countries.
He also emphasized the importance of accelerating the formation of the Egyptian-Ugandan Business Council, allowing companies from both countries to benefit from the trade and investment opportunities available on both sides. Regarding regional developments, Abdelatty affirmed Egypt’s support for mediation efforts aimed at reaching solutions concerning outstanding contentious points that prevent the activation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in the Great Lakes region. He stressed the importance of linking the achievement of peace and the restoration of stability to the realization of sustainable development within a comprehensive approach.
Abdelatty expressed Egypt’s readiness to cooperate with all parties in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo and to contribute to confidence-building measures that may lead to a genuine de-escalation between the concerned parties, thereby enhancing stability in the East Africa and Great Lakes regions. The two sides also exchanged views on developments in the Middle East and the Horn of Africa, emphasizing the importance of intensifying international efforts to reduce escalation and contain current crises in a manner that preserves the security and stability of the region’s countries and protects the resources of their peoples.
The meeting also addressed the latest developments in Sudan and Somalia, with an emphasis on supporting comprehensive political solution paths, maintaining the unity, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of both countries, and strengthening regional and international efforts aimed at achieving stability and confronting security and humanitarian challenges within an integrated approach that combines the dimensions of security and development.