Egypt’s FM meets Latvian president, Parliament speaker

CAIRO – 17 October 2019: Egypt’s minister of Foreign Affairs Sameh Shoukry met on Thursday with President of Latvia Egils Levits along with Latvian Parliament speaker Ināra Mūrniece during his visit to Riga.

According to statement issued by the ministry’s spokesperson Ahmad Hafez, Shoukry issued President Abdel Fattah al Sisi greetings to his Latvian counterpart, affirming Egypt's appreciation for cooperation with Latvia and the importance of developing bilateral relations and pushing them forward during the coming period.

Hafez pointed out that Shoukry stressed Egypt's aspiration to develop economic relations with Latvia in various sectors, and reviewed the process of economic reform aimed at achieving great developmental leaps, noting that there are promising opportunities for cooperation in various fields.

Hafez pointed out that Shoukry assured the Latvian President of Egypt's keenness to develop relations with the Baltic States, pointing out in this regard the need to work on establishing a cooperation mechanism involving Egypt and the three Baltic countries (Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia) through the formula B3 + Egypt.

For his part, Levits stressed on his country's pride in relations with Egypt, and welcomed the expansion of areas of cooperation between the two countries. He was also keen to listen to Egyptian views on the latest developments in the region.

The Latvian President praised Egypt's vital role and balanced positions, which constitute a pillar of regional security and stability. Levits also stressed the aspiration of Egypt to open an embassy in Riga, praising the role of his country's embassy in Cairo in strengthening relations between the two countries.

During his meeting with Latvian Parliament speaker Ināra Mūrniece, the two sides affirmed their pride in the distinguished Egyptian-Latvian relations at all levels and looked forward to developing them in various fields during the coming period.

Hafez pointed out that Shoukry discussed with Mūrniece the importance of boosting parliamentary cooperation between the two countries. He also reviewed the economic situation in Egypt and reviewed the economic reform program undertaken by the Egyptian government to achieve the aspirations of the Egyptian people towards comprehensive and sustainable development through a competitive, balanced and diversified economy.

During the meeting, they also discussed cooperation between the two countries in the cultural field. The speaker pointed out the importance her country attaches to cooperation with the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, as well as cooperation in the field of higher education.