Egypt's Minister of Planning, Rania Al-Mashat, and Azerbaijan's Minister of Digital Development and Transport, Rashad Nabiyev, signed on Monday a joint protocol covering 12 areas of economic and developmental cooperation. The signing concluded the sixth session of the Egypt-Azerbaijan Joint Committee for Economic, Scientific, and Technical Cooperation. The agreement spans trade and investment, energy, agriculture and food safety, transport and ICT, tourism, antiquities, culture, education, youth and sports, health, environment, and consular affairs. Both sides agreed to boost investment collaboration by activating the joint action plan between Egypt's General Authority for Investment and Free Zones (GAFI) and Azerbaijan's Export and Investment Promotion Agency for 2026-2027, including sharing expertise in investor services, promotion strategies, and entrepreneurship. The protocol also advances cooperation in electricity and renewable energy, with a focus on renewable sources, energy efficiency, and battery storage systems, alongside collaboration in oil, gas, research, extraction, and petrochemical refining. Agriculture and food security, information technology, and goods transport from Egypt to Central Asia and China via Baku and Alexandria ports are also highlighted. Tourism and culture initiatives will include joint participation in exhibitions, promoting Azerbaijani tourist visits to Egypt—particularly after the opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum—and museum staff training. The agreement also extends to creative industries, education, scientific research, youth and sports, public health, and universal health insurance. The two countries committed to continued coordination on climate initiatives, supporting the climate agenda and outcomes of COP27 in Sharm El-Sheikh and COP29 in Baku, while strengthening consular affairs cooperation. Attribution: Amwal Al Ghad English
