Cairo: Minister of Foreign Affairs, Emigration and Egyptian Expatriates Badr Abdelatty highlighted the profound historical relationship between Egypt and Austria during a press conference with his visiting Austrian counterpart Beate Meinl-Reisinger, following an official session of talks. Abdelatty emphasized the discussions centered on the close relations between Egypt and Austria, particularly in political, economic, trade, and educational fields.
According to State Information Service Egypt, Abdelatty stated that the talks reflected a shared vision for advancing cooperation to broader horizons, with both sides emphasizing the importance of building on the current momentum in bilateral relations. They signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish a mechanism for political consultations, showcasing the mutual desire to enhance cooperation.
Abdelatty mentioned that discussions included ways to boost economic and investment cooperation, acknowledging the support of Austrian companies operating in Egypt and their role in the country's development efforts. An MoU signed to launch a political consultation mechanism affirms a mutual willingness to strengthen cooperation in the economic, trade, and investment sectors, as well as collaboration for combating illegal migration and terrorism.
He highlighted that the number of Austrian companies in Egypt has tripled over the past five years, reaching 500, operating in fields such as new and renewable energy, chemical and food industries, desalination and water recycling, as well as transportation and logistics sectors.
Abdelatty expressed Egypt's readiness to share its experience in combating terrorism and extremist ideologies. He underscored the need for a holistic approach to addressing illegal migration by focusing on job creation and considering its socio-economic dimensions.
During the news briefing, Abdelatty revealed that Egypt and Austria are about to sign 10 agreements covering various cooperation areas, with discussions also addressing cooperation for exporting skilled workforce to Austria. The talks underscored the importance of contributing to the State's plan for building the Egyptian citizen and enhancing the skills of the Egyptian youth, aligned with European standards.
The meeting also covered regional situations, including the Palestinian issue, stressing the importance of exerting maximum pressure to reach an immediate ceasefire and detainee-release agreement, and halting Israeli attacks on innocent people in the West Bank and Gaza. Additionally, discussions addressed the recent escalation regarding the Iranian nuclear file, condemning Israel's attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities.
Abdelatty emphasized the importance of sustaining the current ceasefire between Iran and Israel, calling for urgent efforts to resume nuclear talks between Iran and the US.