Egyptian, Rwandan FMs discuss joint projects, settlement to African crises

CAIRO – 15 February 2023: Minister of Foreign Affairs Sameh Shokry met Wednesday, on the sidelines of an African Union meeting in Addis Ababa, his Rwandan counterpart Vincent Biruta to confer over existing bilateral cooperation as well as regional and international affairs of mutual concern.

The two countries are holding the second meeting of the joint cooperation committee in Kigali in the second half of 2023. Also, Egypt is building a branch of the Magdi Yacoub Heart Foundation in Rwanda to provide medical treatment.

The project, whose construction began in December 2021, will be the largest medical establishment in Africa specialized in treating heart disease. Moreover, both ministers agreed on continuing to send Egyptian doctors and medical supplies to Rwanda.

In another context, Minister Biruta displayed the security developments eastern the Democratic Republic of Congo, experiencing activity by an armed group, and the content of discussions held in the summit hosted by Burundi on the crisis on February 4.

The foreign ministers of Egypt and Rwanda equally discussed the possibilities of executing the political and military conclusions of the third inter-Congolese dialogue held in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, in November 2022. That is in addition to implementing the Luanda Roadmap, endorsed in January 2023 during a mini summit hosted by Angola, for achieving pacification on the area.

On his side, Minister Shokry affirmed Egypt's backing to the existing pathways of settlement. He also presented the status of negotiations pertaining to the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) crisis and the efforts made by Egypt over a decade to reach a fair and balanced agreement that takes into consideration the interests of Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia.