A high-level Egyptian delegation, led by Assistant Foreign Minister for African Affairs Sherif Eissa, has visited Djibouti to discuss boosting bilateral ties and hold political consultations with officials there. The delegation included representatives from different ministries and companies as well as businessmen. In a statement on Thursday, the Foreign Ministry said that the delegation had a plenary session of talks with senior officials in Djibouti, with Egypt's Ambassador to Djibouti Mohamed Moustafa attending. The meetings included talks with the ministers of foreign affairs, health, energy, infrastructure and transport, agriculture, livestock and fisheries, Muslim affairs and charitable assets and communication and culture, in addition to Governor of the Central Bank of Djibouti Ahmed Osman, Chairman of the Djibouti Ports and Free Zones Authority (DPFZA) Aboubaker Omar Hadi and other officials. The two sides discussed means of strengthening bilateral cooperation in all domains including the economic, trade and investment ones. During the visit, the two sides also discussed means of benefiting from the Egyptian expertise in the various areas. The Djiboutian side also agreed on giving a license to an Egyptian company to operate flights between the two countries to facilitate the movement of passengers and goods. Djibouti also allowed an Egyptian bank to work in the country. The two sides also mulled the promising investment opportunities in Djibouti, means of benefiting from the ports and technical support offered by the Egyptian Agency of Partnership for Development. They also discussed removing shanty areas and building housing units for limited-income brackets. The talks also focused on scholarships given by Egypt's Al-Azhar, the Sunni Muslim world's top religious institution, along with training more Djiboutian preachers, and setting up Al-Azhar Institute in Djibouti.
