Egypt's Minister of International Cooperation Rania Al-Mashat headed, on Sunday, the Egyptian delegation at the ministerial preparatory meetings of the Joint Egyptian-Jordanian Higher Committee. Present in the Egyptian delegation were: Mohamed Shaker, Minister of Electricity and Renewable Energy; Tarek El Molla, Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources; Nevine Gamea, Minister of Trade and Industry; Aly Meselhi, Minister of Supply and Internal Trade; and Elsayed Elkosayer, Minister of Agriculture and Land Reclamation. Further to the high-level ministerial participation, representatives from Egypt's Ministry of Transportation and Ministry of Health and Population also took part. The Jordanian side was headed by Minister of Industry, Trade and Supply Maha Ali, with the participation of the country's Ministers of Transportation, Agriculture, Energy and Mineral Resources, and Health. The meeting comes as part of the Joint Egyptian-Jordanian Higher Committee, which will be held on 23 March, in the Jordanian capital, Amman. It will be headed by Egyptian Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouly and his Jordanian counterpart Bisher Al Khasawneh, within the cooperation portfolio focused on enhancing joint economic, trade and investments relations between the two countries. Minister Al-Mashat affirmed the directives of Egypt's President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi on the importance of strengthening bilateral relations between the two countries. These serve the aspirations and hopes of the two countries' populations. The cooperation framework focuses on capitalising on the use of the resources and capabilities the two countries possess, in order to achieve economic integration and real development. It also aims to position Egypt and Jordan in the ranks of developed countries. In addition, the cooperation looks to push forward with trilateral cooperation projects between Egypt, Jordan, and Iraq, in implementation of the directives of the three countries' leaders. Minister Al-Mashat said that her ministry is keen on coordinating with various other ministries and relevant authorities, to discuss details of joint cooperation documents with the Jordanian side. In the preparatory meeting held in Cairo in February, expert observations were exchanged on outstanding issues and technical aspects that must be completed. This will take place to finalise the details of the documents that will be signed at the Higher Committee meeting. Minister Al-Mashat reviewed the results of the preparatory expert-level meetings that were held over two days in Amman, where the two sides discussed the documents to be signed during the Higher Committee meeting. This came in addition to areas of joint cooperation in several sectors, including irrigation, housing, and electricity. The meeting also sought to discuss strengthening bilateral cooperation, removing obstacles, and developing partnerships in other areas of cooperation, including social insurance, trade, agriculture, and transportation. The Minister referred to experts' discussions regarding the bilateral technical committees that are held periodically between representatives of all stakeholders. These discussions have a great impact on solving problems that may arise in the course of cooperation, as they also proposed new mechanisms to develop joint partnership to widen the horizons on areas of bilateral cooperation. Minister Al-Mashat indicated that the Egyptian-Jordanian Ministerial Follow-up Committee will be held in Amman during the first half (H1) of 2022. She praised the regular Joint Egyptian-Jordanian Higher Committee meetings that began in the mid-1980s, which resulted in a number of cooperation protocols, agreements, and documents in various areas of cooperation.
