Egypt's President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi said that Spain is a major partner for Egypt, pointing out that he had fruitful talks with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, which reflected the congruence of common visions to strengthen relations between the two countries in various fields. During a press conference in Cairo on Wednesday, Al-Sisi noted that cooperation between the two countries is taking place through the joint ministerial forum. Both Al-Sisi and Sanchez stressed the need to increase trade exchange between the two countries by providing opportunities for Egyptian exports to access the Spanish markets. The discussions also dealt with the promotion of Spanish tourism to tourist destinations in Egypt, especially Luxor, Aswan and Sharm El-Sheikh. President Al-Sisi further added that the discussions also dealt with Egypt's efforts to confront the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, which took into account the balance between measures to confront the pandemic and the continuation of economic activities. "We had fruitful and constructive discussions that clearly reflected our common political will to strengthen cooperation frameworks between Egypt and Spain in various fields, allowing optimal use of our capabilities to serve the interests of the two countries, as we reviewed ways to enhance bilateral relations," said Al-Sisi during a press conference with Sanchez. Spokesperson for the Egyptian presidency Bassam Rady said that the two leaders also discussed the launch of the "Joint Egyptian-Spanish Business Council" on the sidelines of the current visit, with the aim of pushing economic, commercial and investment cooperation relations between the two countries to broader horizons. Moreover, the meeting discussed maximising cooperation in several bilateral areas of common interest, such as the infrastructure, energy, water treatment and tourism, as well as the transport sector in Egypt, in addition to the healthcare sector, especially in the field of collecting and manufacturing blood plasma derivatives, as well as the fight against Coronavirus and the manufacture of vaccines. The President also reviewed the Egyptian efforts for development through various national initiatives and projects, expressing his aspiration for more involvement of Spain, through the mechanisms of its development institutions, in the priorities of Egyptian development plans, as well as working to double the volume of Spanish investments in Egypt. Moreover, talks touched on illegal immigration and the flow of refugees, and the latest developments in the regional situation of mutual interest especially the developments of the Libyan crisis. Sanchez affirmed Spain's keenness to support the ambitious measures undertaken by Egypt to advance the economy and achieve comprehensive development, especially by increasing investments, transferring expertise and technology, and localising the Spanish industry.
