Sisi, Lukashenko go on tour of Egypt’s New Administrative Capital

CAIRO – 20 February 2020: Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi on Thursday morning accompanied Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, in a tour at the New Administrative Capital, east of Cairo, the Egyptian Presidency said in a statement.

The tour included the City of Culture and Arts and the Sports City in the new capital that has not yet been unnamed. The two leaders also visited the Church of the Nativity, Egypt’s largest church, and the headquarters of the House of Representatives and the Council of Ministers.

Meeting on Wednesday, Sisi and Lukashenko have signed four memorandums of understanding to foster relations between the two countries, after they held talks at Al-Ittihadiya presidential palace in the Egyptian capital, Cairo.

The first memorandum of understanding focused on establishing a high-level committee for political dialogue between the two countries. It was signed by the foreign ministers of both countries.

Egypt and Belarus also signed the executive program for cooperation in the field of global education and post-university education. A joint MoU was signed by the Central Bank of Egypt and The National Bank of the Republic of Belarus.

Egypt and Belarus also signed an agreement for cooperation and mutual support in the field of customs.

On Tuesday Feb. 18, Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko said that Egypt is an important economic and trade partner in the Middle East region. He praised the achievements and the exchange of visits between the leaders of the two countries.

Lukashenko also asserted that Belarusian-Egyptian relations have witnessed a big leap over the past years.

In June 2019, Sisi held talks with Belarusian President in the Belarusian capital Minsk, where the two presidents signed a joint declaration to strengthen relations in various fields, according to a statement released by spokesperson Bassam Rady.

Sisi and Lukashenko witnessed the signing ceremony for several Memorandums of understanding (MoU) for the establishment of the Belarusian-Egyptian Business Council, which aims to boost trade and investment relations.

He noted that further promotion of cooperation in tourism and energy fields was reviewed during the talks.

The two leaders agreed to establish an accredited Egyptian diplomatic representation in Minsk, similar to the Belarus Embassy in Cairo, reflecting the growing momentum between the two sides and in the framework of supporting political and diplomatic relations.