Egypt to host next Nile Basin countries summit: FM

CAIRO – 2 July 2017: “Egypt will host the next summit of the Nile Basin countries,” said Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry during his meeting with Rwandan counterpart Louise Mushikiwabo on Saturday.

According to a statement by ministry spokesperson Ahmed Abu Zeid, “The meeting came on the sidelines of the thirty first regular meeting of the African Union Executive Council at the level of foreign ministers.

Shoukry expressed Egypt’s hope that the summit would seek to build confidence and strengthen dialogue mechanisms among leaders of the Nile Basin countries.

In a similar context, the officials reviewed the outcome of the previous summit of Nile Basin countries that was held last month in Uganda and which President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi attended.

The minister further expressed Egypt’s hope for Rwanda’s understanding of Cairo’s stance in this regard. He pointed out that the principles of consensus and prior notification are stipulated in many rules and general principles governing relations between countries in the framework of international rivers, stressing that “Egypt has never opposed any development projects in the Nile Basin countries, and that the areas of cooperation between the basin countries are great if mutual concerns can be understood by each party.”

The meeting also discussed bilateral relations between the two countries. Shoukry invited Mushikiwabo to visit Egypt soon in order to promote bilateral relations between both countries in all fields.

Shoukry also underlined the importance of trade exchange between Egypt and Rwanda, and expressed hope for promoting relations with Rwanda within the framework of the Egyptian Agency for Partnership for Development affiliated to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He noted that within the framework of the Egyptian Agency Rwanda strengthened its capacity in textile industry.

Shoukry expressed appreciation for the frequent contacts and meetings between the two sides at the level of the presidents.

On her side, the Rwandan minister agreed with her Egyptian counterpart on the importance of advancing their relations, and expressed keenness to visit Egypt soon. Referring to the historical relations between the two countries, Ms Mushikiwabo said that Egypt was one of the first countries to open an embassy in Rwanda in the wake of independence.