Egypt's President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi received, on Sunday, Oliver Várhelyi, the European Commissioner for Neighborhood Policy, in the presence of Sameh Shoukry, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Christian Berger, the European Union(EU) ambassador in Cairo. Egyptian Presidency spokesperson Bassam Rady said that the President expressed Egypt's aspiration to develop future cooperation relations with the EU by formulating a common understanding between the two sides. He added that this comes in light of the intertwining of interests and the escalation of common challenges facing the two shores of the Mediterranean. For his part, the EU Commissioner expressed the EU's appreciation for the strong and historical relations with Egypt and Brussel's reliance on Cairo as a strategic partner in achieving balance and maintaining peace and security in the southern Mediterranean. He also expressed the EU's desire to continue to advance and develop cooperation with Egypt at various levels, in light of the common interest in addressing the challenges facing the region. Várhelyi praised the Egyptian vision for achieving comprehensive development in the country, and its unremitting efforts in the fields of combating terrorism, extremist ideology and illegal immigration, as well as spreading a culture of tolerance, peaceful coexistence and acceptance of the other. He said that these issues are at the forefront of the EU's priorities, which made Egypt a regional model to be followed and that enjoys the support of its partners. The meeting reviewed the various aspects of the relationship between Egypt and the EU, especially in the fields of education, as well as health care. Continued on page 2
