The Egyptian and Japanese Foreign Ministers discussed Gaza reconstruction and bilateral ties in a phone call on Tuesday. According to Ambassador Tamim Khallaf, the official spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Egyptian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigration, Badr Abdelatty, received a call from the Japanese Minister for Foreign Affairs, Takeshi Iwaya. Abdelatty expressed his appreciation for a written message he recently received from Iwaya, which thanked Egypt for its efforts in facilitating the medical evacuation of injured Palestinians for treatment in Japan. He also reviewed Egyptian efforts to solidify a ceasefire agreement and halt Israeli escalation and aggression toward the Palestinian people. Abdelatty further outlined the Arab plan for the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip and the conference Cairo is scheduled to host for Gaza's reconstruction. Iwaya conveyed the Japanese side's appreciation for Egypt's initiative concerning the reconstruction plan in Gaza. He expressed Japan's hope that the plan would serve as a foundation for creating a sustainable situation for de-escalation and reconstruction. He also praised Egyptian mediation efforts and expressed his hope for the resumption of negotiations and the enhancement of humanitarian aid access for the Palestinian people. He affirmed Japan's commitment to continuing medical evacuations for injured Palestinians and engaging with relevant parties to achieve security and stability in the region. Abdelatty highlighted the strong bilateral relations between Egypt and Japan, expressing a commitment to developing various aspects of cooperation. He also mentioned Egypt's participation in the strategic dialogue round between the two countries scheduled for June 2025. Further, he noted Egypt's intention to participate in the TICAD summit events to be hosted in Japan during August 2025, emphasizing Egypt's keenness to discuss topics of mutual interest between Japan and Africa, primarily economic and developmental issues. The Foreign Minister affirmed Egypt's interest in strengthening economic, trade, and investment relations with Japan, with the aim of boosting Japanese corporate investments in Egypt and enabling them to leverage the promising investment opportunities in Egypt, particularly within the Suez Canal Economic Zone. He highlighted Egypt's strategic geographical location, which facilitates easy and rapid access to European, Asian, and African markets, benefiting both sides. Regarding cooperation in culture and education, Abdelatty expressed Egypt's aspiration for high-level Japanese participation in the official opening ceremony of the Grand Egyptian Museum in early July, especially given Japan's contributions to the museum's construction. He also mentioned the recent visit of the Egyptian Minister of Education to Tokyo to learn about Japan's experience in various education systems. He emphasized Egypt's strong interest in enhancing joint cooperation in education, particularly concerning applied technology schools, higher technical education schools, and the Egyptian-Japanese University, considered one of the most important outcomes of Egyptian-Japanese cooperation in education.
