Egypt will continue to develop cooperation to serve African countries: Sisi

CAIRO - 4 September 2018: “Egypt's efforts during its current chairmanship of the Group of 77 and China are proof of the determination to develop cooperation among developing countries,” President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi said during China-Africa Cooperation Forum Summit Tuesday.

Sisi added that in the coming years Egypt will continue to develop cooperation platforms to serve the interests of African and developing countries.

“Over the next three years, Egypt will cooperate with Africa and China in all fields in pursuit of the aspirations of our peoples for decent living, stability and prosperity, by creating the right environment for sustainable development and overcoming the challenges,” Sisi said.

"Achieving sustainable development, creating more jobs for African peoples, developing infrastructure, promoting free trade under the African Free Trade Agreement, developing and diversifying the African economic system and strengthening the industrial system were key elements in the priorities of the Egyptian presidency of the African Union in 2019,” the president explained.

Sisi also said that development and modernization are the most powerful weapons in the battle against most of the current political, economic and social challenges such as terrorism, extremism, organized crime, poverty and disease.

Sisi highlighted the importance of the integration of various development initiatives such as Africa's development and modernization agenda 2063. In this context, the president revealed that the Suez Canal as a logistics and economic center contributes effectively to the development of the international movement and promotes the freedom of international trade.

At the end of his speech, Sisi expressed his thanks to the brotherly Republic of South Africa for the sincere efforts exerted during South Africa's joint presidency of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation over the past years and congratulated Senegal on the assumption of the joint presidency of the forum for the next three years.

Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi is the first leader to address the second roundtable due to be held on the fringe of the summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) which will wrap up work in Beijing later Tuesday, Egyptian presidential spokesman Bassam Radi said.

The second roundtable will probe political, economic and trade relations between China and Africa, he noted.

Earlier in the day, Sisi attended the first roundtable during which Chinese President Xi Jinping vowed to allocate $ 60 billion to support sustainable development in Africa.

Additional report with MENA