Minister of Foreign Affairs Sameh Shoukry received on Wednesday Mamadou Tangara, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of The Gambia, in Cairo. Ahmed Abu Zeid, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said that the meeting stressed the importance of strengthening bilateral relations and coordination in foreign policy files of common interest, especially with regard to the issues of the African continent. Minister Shoukry reviewed the ongoing preparations to host the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on climate change (COP27). Shoukry was keen to review the priorities of the Egyptian presidency of the conference, stressing the importance of results that enhance international climate action at various levels, and that it represents an important milestone in the implementation of climate pledges and commitments, including the provision of financing and the fulfillment of Nationally Determined Contributions in the field of reducing emissions. The two ministers discussed ways to assist the Gambia in organizing the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) summit scheduled to be hosted this year. Furthermore, they reviewed the role of the Egyptian Agency for partnership for development in building Gambian capacities in various fields, including the preparation of diplomatic cadres, and discussing the possibility of considering cooperation in establishing an Institute for Diplomatic Studies. For his part, Tangara praised the existing cooperation in the field of Health and medical care, the development of services and the provision of medical equipment, including equipping the Gambia hospital with the latest equipment and necessary supplies، He also pointed to the imminent completion of the equipping of the Egyptian hospital in the city of Banjul, as well as the holding of training courses for Gambian doctors and medical staff at Al-Azhar University Specialized Hospital. The Gambian Minister also thanked Egypt for establishing a center for teaching Arabic to non-native speakers in Gambia in cooperation between Al-Azhar University and the general secretariat of Arab and Islamic education, and sending eight Azhar envoys to The Gambia annually.
