President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi will visit Belarus in June, the speaker of the House of Representatives of Belarus, Vladimir Andreichenko, was quoted as per new agency BelTA. Andreichenko added that Al-Sisi will deliver a speech in the Belarusian parliament. "This will be the first speech of a foreign head of state in the Oval Hall," he added. "The central part of the visit's agenda is boosting cooperation in trade and economy. In many ways, these matters are centered around Belarus' accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO), which promises great benefits, but also poses some obvious risks. The MPs joined the efforts to address this issue. It should become the benchmark of the comprehensive analysis to be undertaken at a seminar to be held together with the WTO Secretariat," the speaker noted. In January 2017, Al-Sisi received president Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus, where the two leaders signed nine cooperation agreements in the fields of environment, water resources, agriculture, and sports, according to a press statement by the Egyptian presidency. They also inked a cooperation agreement on military techniques and production, an agreement to transfer convicts, and a joint plan for economic, social, and cultural exchange between Minsk and South Sinai. The relations between Egypt and Belarus have been witnessing rapid development. The commercial exchange between the two countries reached $186.3m in 2015. The Egyptian exports to Belarus are estimated at $88.3m, while Belarusian exports to Egypt are estimated at $98m. Moreover, Egypt is considered one of the most important touristic destinations for Belarusian citizens.
