Hassan El-Khatib, Egypt's Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade, met with Igor Sergeenko, Speaker of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus, and his accompanying parliamentary delegation to explore ways to strengthen bilateral trade and investment relations. El-Khatib welcomed the delegation's visit to Cairo, describing it as a reflection of the longstanding and mutually beneficial ties between Egypt and Belarus. He emphasized the importance of building on the strong foundations of Egyptian-Belarusian relations—anchored in mutual respect and shared strategic interests—to unlock new avenues of cooperation. During the meeting, El-Khatib reaffirmed Egypt's commitment to deepening trade and investment ties with Belarus as part of a broader national strategy to diversify global economic partnerships and open access to new markets. He praised recent positive developments in the two countries' economic relations and highlighted Egypt's interest in expanding collaboration across industrial and technological sectors. The Minister also pointed to Egypt's increasingly competitive investment climate, supported by sweeping economic and legislative reforms aimed at creating a more investor-friendly environment. He stressed that ongoing financial, monetary, and trade policy reforms are designed to ease the investor journey, boost trade performance, and reinforce Egypt's position as a regional economic hub. El-Khatib underscored several of Egypt's strategic advantages, including its skilled labor force, engineering expertise, and unique geographic location at the crossroads of Africa, Europe, and the Middle East. He also noted the country's extensive network of free trade and preferential agreements, which open access to diverse regional markets. Highlighting Egypt's infrastructure readiness, El-Khatib said the country offers well-developed logistics capabilities, including modern airports, seaports, road networks, and renewable energy sources—making it a competitive production and export base for companies targeting Europe, Africa, and the Arab world. For his part, Speaker Igor Sergeenko praised the depth of relations between Belarus and Egypt, describing his visit as a step toward elevating bilateral cooperation to new levels. He reaffirmed Belarus's view of Egypt as a key strategic partner in the Middle East and Africa. Sergeenko expressed Belarus's interest in expanding cooperation in industry, energy, and agriculture, and conveyed his country's readiness to transfer technical expertise and collaborate with Egypt in areas of mutual benefit.
