Egypt is preparing for the fifth session of the Egyptian-Hungarian Joint Committee for Economic, Scientific, and Technical Cooperation, scheduled for April 10, 2025. Minister of Planning, Economic Development, and International Cooperation Rania Al-Mashat chaired a preparatory meeting on April 9, bringing together representatives from various Egyptian ministries and national entities. The meeting reviewed the implementation of recommendations from the fourth session, addressing challenges and identifying mechanisms to activate remaining recommendations. Participants focused on strengthening follow-up and evaluation mechanisms to ensure optimal results across all sectors. Representatives attended from the ministries of health, education, tourism, petroleum, housing, youth and sports, transport, agriculture, culture, ICT, irrigation, supply, environment, as well as the National Media Authority, Egyptian Space Agency, Civil Aviation Authority, and Suez Canal Economic Zone. Al-Mashat highlighted significant progress in Egyptian-Hungarian economic relations, encompassing construction, information technology, food, water, healthcare, and finance. She emphasized the ministry's commitment to ensuring the committee's success through continuous communication and obstacle removal. "The Ministry of Planning, Economic Development and International Cooperation is working hard to ensure the success of the joint committee's work and follow up on its results and continuous communication with all parties to remove any obstacles that prevent the implementation of any of the Supreme Committee's decisions," Al-Mashat said. Al-Mashat also noted the long history of bilateral relations, dating back to 1928, when Egypt became the first Arab country to establish diplomatic ties with Hungary. She cited the convergence of visions between both countries' leaderships, exemplified by President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi's meeting with the Hungarian President during her visit to Egypt in November. Two days of expert-level preparatory meetings, also chaired by the Ministry of Planning, Economic Development and International Cooperation on April 8 and 9, covered areas of mutual interest and focused on strengthening economic cooperation. Discussions included finalizing a memorandum of understanding on environmental protection, the ministerial committee agenda, and arrangements for an Egyptian-Hungarian business council. The Egyptian side included representatives from the ministries of foreign affairs, agriculture, electricity, Suez Canal Economic Zone, petroleum, investment, culture, education, supply, transport, water resources, military production, youth and sports, health, housing, communications, tourism, environment, the Arab Organization for Industrialization, the National Media Authority, and the Egyptian Space Agency. The Hungarian delegation included representatives from the ministries of energy, environment, transport, economy, agriculture, research, and family and youth. The ministerial committee will be co-chaired by Al-Mashat and Hungarian Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister Peter Szijjarto. The fifth session's agenda includes an Egyptian-Hungarian Business Forum, aiming to boost economic cooperation through private sector engagement and identify investment opportunities. The current economic cooperation framework stems from an agreement signed in 2007, replacing a 1996 agreement following Hungary's EU accession in 2004. Four previous joint committee sessions have been held, the last in February 2023.
