H.E. Dr. Rania Al-Mashat Follows Up with Lebanese Counterpart on Preparations for the 10th Session of the Egyptian-Lebanese Joint Higher Committee

“Al-Mashat: Promising Opportunities for Economic Cooperation Between Egypt and Lebanon in Investment, Energy, Electricity, and Trade — The Egyptian Private Sector Has Extensive Expertise in Reconstruction”

 

Lebanese Minister of Economy: Egypt Is a Pillar of Stability in the Arab Region and a Key Supporter of Joint Arab Action

 

 

H.E. Dr. Rania Al-Mashat, Minister of Planning, Economic Development, and International Cooperation, held a virtual meeting with H.E. Dr. Amer Al-Bassat, Lebanese Minister of Economy and Trade, in the presence of Judge Mahmoud Makkiyah, Secretary-General of the Lebanese Council of Ministers.

 

The meeting came within the framework of the ministry’s role in organizing the 10th session of the Egyptian-Lebanese Joint Higher Committee. Discussions focused on efforts to enhance bilateral cooperation between the two brotherly countries and preparations for the upcoming session, in line with the directives of the leadership of both nations.

 

At the outset, H.E. Dr. Al-Mashat reaffirmed Egypt’s keenness, under the leadership of H.E. President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, to advance relations with Lebanon and further strengthen cooperation to achieve mutual development goals across various sectors.

 

She noted that recent months have witnessed a renewed momentum in bilateral relations, as reflected in the visits of the Lebanese President and Prime Minister to Egypt—demonstrating both countries’ strong commitment to coordination and expanding cooperation during this pivotal phase for the region.

 

H.E. Dr. Al-Mashat reviewed the progress made in implementing the resolutions of the previous session of the Joint Higher Committee, which was held in Beirut in 2019. The meeting also addressed all topics and proposed documents on the agenda of the 10th session, scheduled to be held in Cairo at the end of this month, under the co-chairmanship of H.E. Dr. Mostafa Madbouly, Prime Minister of Egypt, and H.E. Dr. Nawaf Salam, Prime Minister of Lebanon.

 

Discussions further explored ways to support and enhance bilateral partnership and cooperation in accordance with proposals from the relevant Egyptian ministries and agencies in areas including investment, foreign trade, electricity, renewable energy, civil aviation, air and maritime navigation, land and sea transport, agricultural research, supply and internal trade. The talks also covered the exchange of expertise in the fields of culture, education, technical and higher education, scientific research, and cooperation with the National Institute for Planning.

 

During the meeting, H.E. Dr. Al-Mashat emphasized the importance of doubling the volume of trade exchange between Egypt and Lebanon to reflect the depth of their relations, highlighting the need to remove trade barriers and simplify customs procedures. The volume of trade between the two countries reached USD 1 billion in 2024, compared to USD 774 million in 2023, representing an increase of 29.3%.

 

H.E. Dr. Al-Mashat also noted the promising opportunities for Egyptian construction, contracting, and engineering consultancy firms to play a major role in Lebanon’s reconstruction efforts. She stressed that Egyptian companies are well-qualified and highly experienced, with skilled labor capable of contributing effectively to rebuilding Lebanon.

 

For his part, H.E. Dr. Al-Bassat underscored Egypt’s pivotal role as a cornerstone of stability in the Arab region and a key supporter of joint Arab action, praising Egypt’s continuous political and humanitarian support for the Lebanese people and its steadfast backing of Lebanon in international forums.

 

He added that there are great opportunities to strengthen trade and investment cooperation between the two countries, especially given the strong alignment of visions between their leaderships to elevate economic and commercial relations to new levels.

 

H.E. Dr. Al-Bassat also stressed the importance of mutual visits by business delegations to explore available investment opportunities and open new horizons for industrial and commercial partnerships. He highlighted Egypt’s accumulated experience in implementing major national projects, including the establishment of large industrial and agricultural zones, modern urban communities, and fourth-generation smart cities such as the New Administrative Capital, New Alamein City, and New Mansoura City, which have transformed Egypt’s urban landscape. He also referred to Egypt’s extensive national road network and major transport projects such as the metro, high-speed rail, and monorail systems.

 

It is worth noting that economic and technical cooperation between the Arab Republic of Egypt and the Lebanese Republic has witnessed steady progress since the signing of the Agreement Establishing the Egyptian-Lebanese Joint Higher Committee in Cairo on March 16, 1996.

 

The ninth session of the committee was held in Beirut in May 2019, co-chaired by H.E. Dr. Mostafa Madbouly on behalf of Egypt and H.E. Saad Hariri on behalf of Lebanon, during which four documents were signed in the fields of tax expertise exchange, communications and information technology, investment promotion, and importation of Egyptian building materials, in addition to the final minutes of the session.