Egypt, Ecuador discuss boosting bilateral ties

CAIRO – 28 February 2018: Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry on Tuesday discussed in a meeting with his Ecuadorian counterpart Maria Fernanda Espinosa ways of fostering bilateral ties and issues of common concern.

During the meeting, which was held on the fringe of the 37th meeting of the UN Human Rights Council, Shoukry praised progress made in the Egyptian- Ecuadorian relations, saying that Cairo looks forward to strengthening ties with Quito in various fields, in addition to setting a date for holding the second round on the mechanism of bilateral political consultations, Spokesman for the Foreign Ministry Ahmed Abu Zeid said.

Also, Shoukry congratulated the Ecuadorian government on the recent successful referendum to introduce amendments to laws regulating the political life in the Latin American state, expressing Cairo’s gratitude for naming one of the largest squares in Quito after “Egypt Square” and developing a model of the King Ramses II colossus, Abu Zeid added.

The meeting tackled means of cementing bilateral cooperation and coordination within the framework of international organizations and forums, as Egypt’s top diplomat hailed the role played by Ecuador during its presidency of the Group of 77 in 2017, Abu Zeid noted.

Egypt is keen to see Ecuador continuing its efforts with regard to issues that matter the G77, including following up the agenda on sustainable development, food security, education and youth employment, given that Egypt was selected to chair the group in 2018.

For her part, the Ecuadorian foreign minister commended historic and strong ties binding the two countries and existing coordination at international forums, notably the Non-Aligned Movement and the Group of 77 and China.

Moreover, Espinosa expressed her country’s willingness to push forward economic and trade cooperation with Egypt.

Shoukry posted Espinosa on the recent economic reforms and the government’s efforts to finalize mega national projects, in addition to the fight against terrorism crowned with the ongoing comprehensive military operation ‘Sinai 2018’.