Egypt's Minister of Foreign Affairs Sameh Shoukry met with his Guinean counterpart Ibrahim Kaba, on Monday, to discuss ways to develop bilateral relations and address African issues of mutual concern. Ahmed Hafez, Spokesperson for Egypt's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said that Shoukry expressed the country's desire to strengthen joint cooperation with Guinea in the coming period. The two ministers voiced their interest in improving economic, trade, and agricultural relations between the two countries in a way that suits the level of distinguished political relations, Hafez added. Shoukry also indicated Egypt's readiness to cooperate with Guinea in capacity-building, and to transfer expertise in various technical aspects through the training programmes organized by the Egyptian Agency for Partnership for Development. He confirmed Egypt's interest in contributing to the development of the Gamal Abdel Nasser University in Guinea's capital, Conakry. This comes with the aim of making it an educational and cultural beacon, not only for the Guinean people, but for Africa as a whole. With regard to African issues, Hafez said that the discussions also dealt with regional efforts to counter terrorist organisations and organised crime groups active in the Sahel region. The two ministers also reviewed issues of priority for the African Union (AU), most notably economic and regional integration. This has a focus on infrastructure projects that will contribute to increasing inter-African trade, and creating jobs for the people of the continent. The two sides also stressed the importance of ensuring that Africa receives an adequate share of vaccines for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), to meet the needs of its people.
