Egypt's Ambassador to Brussels Badr Abdel Aty met with a group of European Commission officials and members of the European Parliament on Sunday. The meetings dealt with ways to enhance cooperation and coordination with Egypt, both at the level of officials of the European Commission and the European Parliament. They also discussed major energy projects in Egypt, particularly clean and green energy and their contribution to Egypt's self-sufficiency and exports to Europe and other countries of the world in the future. Preparations for the 27th Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on climate change (COP 27) — which will be held in Egypt's Sharm El-Sheikh this November — were discussed as well. Furthermore, the two sides discussed arrangements for the upcoming visit of the first Vice-President of the European Commission Frans Timmermans, who will be responsible for the Green Deal, to Cairo in April. Additionally, the meeting tackled Egypt's interest in developing the transportation sector, modernising infrastructure, expanding roads, developing the railway system, and maritime and river transportation. For their part, the European side expressed its keenness to further cooperate with Egypt in the field of transportation, especially as it is a leading country in this field in the Middle East and Africa. They also stressed the importance of linking Africa and Europe to contribute to further cooperation, including the Lake Victoria-Mediterranean link project and the Cairo-Khartoum-Juba-Kampala road project, emphasising the importance of implementing the positive results of the EU-AU summit that was held in Brussels on 17 and 18 February 2022. In this context, the meetings also addressed Egypt's vital and historical role in supporting development on the African continent and defending its interests in various international forums, and its comprehensive vision of the continent's problems, which is based on taking into account economic development as well as establishing security and stability. Moreover, Egypt's efforts to support the African continent were reviewed in many areas, most notably training; the exchange of technical expertise; capacity-building; and conflict resolution through the work of the Egyptian Agency for partnership for development, the Cairo International Centre for Conflict Resolution, Peacekeeping, and Peacebuilding, as well as Cairo's hosting of the African Union Centre for post-conflict reconstruction and development. The meetings also touched on the issues of climate change, water scarcity, and food security at the level of African countries as well as within the framework of the repercussions imposed by the Russian-Ukrainian crisis on Egypt and African countries. Additionally, the two sides covered Egypt's efforts in combating terrorism and illegal migration, and hosting millions of refugees on its territory and integrating them into Egyptian society without discrimination.
