In a meeting with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi on Wednesday, Croatian Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Gordan Grlić-Radman praised Egypt's efforts to consolidate stability and security in the Middle East and Africa. Grlić-Radman, who is currently on a visit to Cairo, hailed the "successful and appreciable" efforts Egypt exerts to stop illegal immigration through its territory to Europe. The Croatian minister also applauded the Egyptian efforts to promote dialogue between Africa and Europe, according to a statement by Egypt's presidential spokesman Bassam Rady. Grlić-Radman expressed his country's keenness to continue cooperating with Egypt to address challenges facing the two shores of the Mediterranean, according to the statement. El-Sisi told the Croatian foreign minister that Egypt is keen on countering illegal immigration through the Mediterranean, noting that Cairo's stance is based on its responsibility towards its citizens and partners. The president underscored the significance of dealing with the migration issue within a framework of shared responsibility, and not only focusing on security solutions, but also addressing the roots of the economic and development problem in the source countries. Egypt, El-Sisi noted, hosts some 6 million refugees of different nationalities, including Arabs and Africans, all of whom enjoy basic rights. El-Sisi and Grlić-Radman also discussed a number of regional issues of mutual interest, foremost among which is the Libyan issue, where they emphasised the importance of supporting the current political path in the war-torn country. They added that the political path aims to safeguard the country's nationhood and national institutions. Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry (R) during a press conference with his Croatian counterpart Gordan Grlić-Radman (L) in Cairo on Wednesday Enhancing cooperation The meeting also touched upon ways to enhance bilateral relations, particularly at the economic, investment, and trade levels, the presidential statement said. El-Sisi praised the historical ties between Egypt and Croatia, voicing Egypt's aspiration to strengthen the mechanisms of bilateral cooperation at various levels, including trade exchange and economic cooperation. In addition, the Croatian minister met on the same day with his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry, where they discussed ways to enhance bilateral cooperation. Shoukry said the Egyptian-Croatian committee will convene as soon as possible. The committee was scheduled to convene last year but the coronavirus pandemic prevented the meeting, which is set to tackle bilateral cooperation in tourism and energy.
