Trade and Industry Minister Ahmed Samir had talks on Sunday with EU Ambassador Christian Berger on means of enhancing economic cooperation in the coming period, especially within the framework of the Egyptian-European Partnership Agreement.

He highlighted the depth of bilateral ties, noting that the EU is the biggest economic partner to Egypt.

He said the talks tackled the Egyptian state’s efforts to give momentum to the private sector, especially in view of the consecutive international crises; the coronvirus crisis and the Russian-Ukrainian crisis.

The two sides agreed to intensify communication in the coming period to encourage European companies to inject more investments into the Egyptian market.

The talks also reviewed means of holding a business forum in Egypt with the participation of businessmen, the chambers of commerce and business unions of both sides to stand on available investment opportunities.

He noted that Egypt seeks to benefit from the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) in order to become an industrial hub for European products and export them to African markets.

For his part, Berger stressed the European Commission’s interest in enhancing political and economic cooperation with Egypt which is the most important regional partner.

He lauded the efforts exerted by Egypt to improve the investment climate, offer facilitation to investors and boost the private sector’s contribution to the local economy.

Source: State Information Service Egypt