Egyptian FM meets Belgian PM to discuss economic ties, crises in neighboring states

CAIRO – 20 January 2025: During his visit to Brussels, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Immigration Badr Abdelatty met his Belgian counterpart Bernard Quintin, and later, Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, noting the importance of building upon the momentum in bilateral relations on the political and economic levels.  

 

The minister welcomed the outstanding participation of Belgian companies in the Egypt-EU Investment Conference that was held in June 2024, and the signing of a contract on a green hydrogen project in Matrouh's Gargoub by a coalition of Belgian firms. 

In that framework, Minister Abdelatty displayed the economic reforms carried out by Egypt, as well as measures taken to enhance the investment climate, eliminate obstructions and provide incentives. He expressed hope that Belgian investors would leverage opportunities in the sectors of energy, renewable energy, green hydrogen, port management and logistics.

That is why the minister had earlier met with the heads of the Port of Antwerp-Bruges, and DEME Group highlighting investment opportunities at the Suez Canal Economic Zone (SCzone).

 

 

The Egyptian minister also expressed eagerness for signing a collaboration agreement on migration with Belgium in order to channel migrants to legal ways. Similarly, he added that Egypt looked forward to Belgium's support to win a vote on the second tranche of the €7.4-billion financial assistance package granted by the EU. The first tranche worth €1 billion was disbursed in December. The value of the next one is €4 billion.

In a different context, Minister Abdelatty stressed Egypt's keenness on restoring artifacts that had been smuggled out of the country, requesting more cooperation from Belgian authorities on that front.

The meeting was concluded by talks on crises in the Middle East, Red Sea, and Horn of Africa. The minister clarified Egypt's stance on the situation in each of Syria, Libya, Sudan, Somalia, and Horn of Africa, noting that EU should empower Egypt to face incurred challenges in order to ensure the security and stability of both the Middle East and Europe.

Regarding the ceasefire in Gaza, Minister Abdelatty noted that it should be fully implemented by both parties, Israel and Hamas, according to the timeline without any delay. As for Syria, he underscored the necessity of an inclusive political transition process.