Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi headed to Japan yesterday to partake in the Group of 20 (G20) Summit in Osaka. The president's participation in the G20 summit comes upon the invitation of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, whose country holds the current G20 presidency, according to a statement by Egypt's presidential spokesperson Bassam Rady. Rady said that the invitation also comes in light of Egypt's presidency of the African Union (AU) in 2019, the close and growing relations between Egypt and Japan, and due to Egypt's regional and international influence. The Osaka G20 summit, which will take place on 28-29 June, will be the 14th meeting of the G20. The president will focus during the summit on various topics of interest to developing countries in general and Africa in particular, especially with regards to the importance of promoting international efforts to facilitate the integration of developing countries into the global economy in light of the opportunities and benefits it provides that contribute to economic growth. The statement added that El-Sisi will stress on the need to provide effective support to developing countries in their pursuit of the 2030 sustainable development goals. These goals include facilitating the transfer of technology to these countries, the localisation of industry, pushing foreign investments to them, and the commitment of developed countries to their responsibilities under the Paris Climate Agreement as well as enabling developing countries to increase their dependence on new and renewable sources of energy. Rady said the president's visit to Japan includes holding summit talks with Japanese Prime Minister Abe to discuss means of enhancing bilateral relations, which have been developing in recent years, in a way that achieves the common interests of the two countries and peoples. According to Rady, El-Sisi is scheduled to hold meetings with a number of Japanese businessmen and chairmen of the largest Japanese companies operating in Egypt to discuss means of boosting cooperation in the fields of economic, trade and investments. On the sidelines of the G20 Summit, El-Sisi will also meet with heads of state and government participating in the summit to discuss enhancing bilateral cooperation and to consult about various regional and international issues. Source: Ahram online
