Minister of Planning, Economic Development, and International Cooperation Holds Talks with the Vice Prime Minister of Romania During the Joint Committee's Events in Bucharest
10 October 2024
"Al-Mashat": The need for regular meetings of the Joint Committee and establishing a follow-up mechanism to implement cooperation documents.
Romanian Vice Prime Minister: Egypt is one of Romania's major trade partners.
H.E. Dr. Rania A. Al-Mashat,
Minister of Planning, Economic Development, and International Cooperation and
head of the Egyptian side of the Egyptian-Romanian Joint Committee, held a
session of discussions with Mr. Marian Neacșu, Vice Prime Minister of Romania,
during the fourth session of the Joint Committee for Economic, Scientific, and
Technical Cooperation held in Bucharest. The meeting was attended by members of
the Egyptian delegation, including: Mr. Alaa Farouk, Minister of Agriculture
and Land Reclamation; Mr. Basil Rahmi, CEO of MSMEDA the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise
Development Agency; Mr. Mohamed Aboumoussa, Assistant Governor of the Central
Bank of Egypt; and Ambassador Moayed Al-Delei, Egypt’s Ambassador to Romania.
From the Romanian side, the
meeting was attended by the Minister of Economy, Entrepreneurship, and Tourism;
the Minister of Investment and European Projects; and other officials.
The meeting witnessed discussions
between the Egyptian delegation and the Vice Prime Minister of Romania, along
with government representatives, on many areas of mutual interest. This comes
in light of Egypt’s interest in expanding cooperation with Romania on all
fronts.
The two sides discussed ways to
strengthen cooperation in the financial and banking sectors, green transition
efforts, and increasing green hydrogen production in line with Egypt's strategy
to become a regional hub for this vital industry. Cooperation was also
discussed in infrastructure, cybersecurity, telecommunications, and information
technology.
H.E. Dr. Rania A. Al-Mashat
emphasized that the Egyptian government was keen on convening the Joint
Committee as a main mechanism to expand cooperation and promote development
efforts through deepening partnerships in areas of mutual interest. She
highlighted the importance of the results achieved so far and the signing of
memoranda of understanding in a number of fields, such as energy, natural gas,
agriculture.
H.E. Minister Al-Mashat
reaffirmed the need for regular meetings of the committee, which would enhance
its role in following up on the memoranda of understanding, overcoming any
challenges. She also suggested implementing a quarterly follow-up mechanism
with relevant stakeholders from both countries.
The meeting also provided an
opportunity to review the key economic developments in Egypt, including the
government’s efforts to strengthen macroeconomic stability and create a
business environment that is more attractive to investments. This is being
achieved through structural reforms, financial and investment expenditure
control, and creating space for the private sector.
H.E. Dr. Al-Mashat emphasized the
government’s commitment to attracting more Romanian investments to Egypt,
noting that the business forum between the two countries provides significant
opportunities to explore cooperation between the private sectors and identify
investment opportunities.
For his part, the Romanian Vice
Prime Minister stated that Egypt is considered one of Romania's key trade
partners, in addition to cooperation in other investment areas and beyond. He
underscored the importance of connecting the private sectors of both countries
to deepen mutual cooperation across all fields. He also highlighted the need to
follow up on the cooperation documents signed during the Joint Committee sessions
and to explore future proposed areas of collaboration.