Egypt's Minister of Trade and Industry Ahmed Samir held a meeting with Australian Ambassador to Egypt Axel Wabenhorst on Sunday to discuss ways to strengthen economic relations between the two countries. They discussed developments in the global economic situation and issues of common interest. The minister said that Egypt and Australia have distinguished trade and investment relations that contribute to the development of the Egyptian and Australian economies alike. Samir noted that the private sector has a primary role in the export process, as well as the role of the ministry in organizing foreign trade and implementing trade agreements concluded between Egypt and a large number of countries and major economic blocs around the world. Samir pointed out that the meeting dealt with ways to enhance Egyptian exports of agricultural products, namely fresh fruits and vegetables to the Australian market. Besides, facilitating agricultural quarantine procedures for Egyptian agriculture exports, as well as facilitating the import of live animals from Australia, elaborated that coordination will be made with the Australian side and the Agriculture Export Council to network Egyptian exporters with their Australian counterparts interested in importing from the Egyptian market. The minister expressed Egypt's desire to benefit from Australian advisory expertise in field of mining, especially with regard to preparing feasibility studies and estimating quantities for exploration sites for a number of raw materials, pointing out that Egypt is seeking, during the current period, to establish real value-added industries for these materials, where cooperation is taking place in some countries in the Middle East and Africa. Samir highlighted the keenness of the two sides to intensify joint efforts to increase intra-trade rates to advance the level of distinguished bilateral relations between Egypt and Australia, added that the volume of trade exchange between the two countries reached approximately $703m in 2022. For his part, Wabenhorst confirmed his country's keenness to enhance joint trade and investment cooperation with Egypt, as it is one of the most important markets in the Middle East and Africa. The ambassador expressed the interest of Australian exporters and importers in the field of food products in the Egyptian market, as there are distinct opportunities for export agricultural products and crops to the Australian market, especially dates and citrus fruits, given that Egypt is one of the leading countries in the field of cultivation and export of these two products.
