Egypt's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Badr Abdelatty, met his Serbian counterpart Marko Đurić, on the sidelines of the Sir Bani Yas Forum in the United Arab Emirates, on Sunday. Abdelatty commended the positive development of bilateral relations across all sectors since President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi's historic visit to Serbia in July 2022 and President Aleksandar Vučić's visit to Cairo in July 2024. He emphasized building on this momentum to enhance cooperation in issues of common interest and expand the scope of bilateral relations. He stressed the importance of implementing the memoranda of understanding signed during President Vučić's visit to Egypt, to drive bilateral cooperation in various fields over the coming years. The Egyptian foreign minister highlighted the importance of strengthening bilateral cooperation across various sectors, focusing on economic, trade, cultural, and educational fields, particularly in artificial intelligence (AI). He noted Serbia's upcoming presidency of the World AI Forum and the participation of Egyptian companies in the 2027 Serbia Expo, both of which he believes will significantly boost relations between Egypt and Serbia in the coming years. During Vucic's official visit to Cairo, Egypt and Serbia solidified and expanded their partnership by signing a series of trade and cooperation agreements. These agreements cover various sectors, including investment, trade, tourism, education, and culture, fostering enhanced collaboration and mutual growth. At the core of these agreements is a comprehensive free trade agreement signed by Egyptian Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade, Hassan El-Khatib, and his Serbian counterpart, Minister of Domestic and Foreign Trade, Tomislav Momirovic. This landmark deal is expected to significantly boost bilateral trade, which currently stands at approximately $500m annually. In addition to the trade agreement, several other cooperation agreements were signed. These include a cooperation agreement between Cairo and Belgrade, signed by Egyptian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigration, Badr Abdelaty, and Belgrade Mayor, Aleksandar Sapic, strengthening ties between the two capital cities.
