Staff report: CAIRO, June 28, 2018 - Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukri, now in the Mauritanian capital of Nouakchott to attend the African Union's Executive Council session, held talks Thursday with his counterparts from Djibouti, Sierra Leone, Mauritania and Malawi, Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid said in a statement. The Executive Council is undertaking the preparatory work for the 31st African Union Summit due to convene in Nouakchott on July 1 under the theme "Winning the Fight against Corruption: A Sustainable Path to Africa's Transformation". The Executive Council is composed of ministers of foreign affairs of the African Union's member-states. At a meeting with Djibouti's Minister of Foreign Affairs and International co-operation Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, on the sidelines of the EC session, Minister Shoukri asserted Egypt's position of considering Djibouti a partner in the realisation of economic development and security in the Red Sea, Bab el-Mandeb Strait and the Horn of Africa, Spokesman Abu Zeid said. Noting that Egypt and Djibouti are facing the same challenges and have the same aspirations in this regard, Minister Shoukri said Egypt is looking forward to effective participation by Djibouti in the activation of the mechanism for security and economic co-operation in the Red Sea, especially following up the conclusions of the mechanism's first meeting that Egypt hosted, the Foreign Ministry spokesman said. During their meeting, Minister Shoukri and his Djiboutian counterpart discussed the positive developments that the Horn of Africa is now witnessing and the potentially favourable impact on the prospects of enhancing peace and stability in the region. They also reviewed the process of coordination between the two countries at international fora, the water file and the developments of the Renaissance Dam negotiations as well as the situation in Somalia and Yemen, Spokesman Abu Zeid said. Bilateral relations between Egypt and Mauritania and Arab and African issues of mutual concern, especially including the developments in Libya and Syria in addition to the Palestinian cause, were the subject of discussion at Minister Shoukri's meeting with his Mauritanian counterpart Ahmed Ould Teguedi, according to Spokesman Abu Zeid. Minister Shoukri expressed Egypt's appreciation of the depth and strength of distinguished relations with Mauritania, especially following the visit that Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz paid to Cairo in April 2016 and the ensuing exchange of visits by high-level delegations and joint technical committee meetings. Discussion between ministers Shoukri and Teguedi also covered the efforts to combat terrorism. In this connection, Minister Shoukri emphasised that Egypt is looking forward to the promotion of co-operation in combatting terrorism and organised crime networks at both bilateral and Sahel G5 levels. Ways of enhancing bilateral relations between Egypt and Sierra Leone ware the subject of consideration at Minister Shoukri'e meeting with his Sierra Leonean counterpart Dr Alie Kabba, Spokesman Abu Zeid said. Minister Shoukri stressed that Egypt is looking forward to promoting co-operation with Sierra Leone especially in the field of capacity-building and exchange of expertise, noting in this regard the leading role undertaken by the Egyptian Agency of Partnership for Development, a Foreign Ministry-affiliate body. Minister Shoukri also held a round of talks with Malawi's Foreign Minister Emmanuel Fabiano and lauded Malawi's intention to convene a joint committee meeting for co-operation between the two countries in the shortest time possible.
