Egypt’s FM, Spanish ecological transition min. discuss cooperation on COP27

CAIRO – 19 April 2022: Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry and Spanish Minister for the Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge Teresa Ribera held a meeting on Monday in the Spanish capital of Madrid.

During the meeting, Shoukry and Ribera, also third deputy prime minister, discussed cooperation on the scheduled Egyptian presidency of the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27), the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Egypt is set to host the conference in Sharm El-Sheikh city in November with plans to move from the climate change pledges to actions.

Shoukry headed Sunday to the Spanish capital upon an invitation of his counterpart Albares. During the visit, he met with Spain’s King Felipe VI and Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares.

King Felipe VI has hailed the progress seen in bilateral relations between Egypt and Spain, affirming the aspiration toward further progress in these relations as he received Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry in Madrid.

During the meeting on Monday, King Felipe VI hailed Egypt as a pivotal partner in the region and discussed with Shoukry regional and international issues of mutual concern in light of the two countries’ keenness to establish security and stability on the regional and international levels.

The top Egyptian diplomat briefed the king on the great achievements made by the Egyptian government through the economic reform program and the launch of major projects in all sectors within the framework of Egypt's Vision 2030.

Shoukry expressed aspiration for further involvement of the Spanish companies in development projects and green transformation efforts in Egypt.

This comes especially in light of the ambitious Egyptian plans in this regard and Egypt’s scheduled hosting of COP27 in November, Shoukry explained.

Shoukry expressed satisfaction of the progress witnessed in the bilateral relations between Egypt and Spain, especially in light of the exchanged visits and phone calls, the most recent of which was the visit of the Spanish Prime Minister to Cairo in December and his meeting with President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi.

He affirmed that Egypt looks forward to building on the results of successful meetings and contacts between the officials of the two countries during the last period.

Shoukry has also held meetings with senior Spanish officials, including one with the minister of ecological transition. That is in light of the growth in Egyptian-Spanish relations, and to follow up on the outcomes of the visit of Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez to Cairo in December.

Talks have addressed preparations for COP27 and the plans of boosting Spanish investments in Egypt as well as economic cooperation.

Shoukry and his Spanish counterpart, Albares, signed on Monday an MoU on cooperation in the field of diplomatic studies and exchange of expertise between the Egyptian Foreign Ministry’s Institute of Diplomatic Studies and the Diplomatic School of Spain.

The MoU signed by the two diplomats aims at enhancing cooperation in exchange and training programs, the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

Shoukry and Albares chaired a consultation session between the delegations of the two countries to address all files of bilateral relations and ways to develop them. The session also discussed international and regional files of common interest.

The two ministers also held a press conference on the key points they discussed during the consultation session.