CAIRO, July 4, 2018 (MENA) - Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, currently visiting Berlin, called for encouraging German companies to invest in Egypt. During a breakfast banquet on Wednesday with Norbert Röttgen, the Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee of the German Bundestag, Shoukry said the volume of German investments in Egypt is not commensurate with the deeply-rooted ties between the two countries as well as the economic leverage of Germany as the largest European economy. Shoukry called for intensifying consultations with Germany on regional and international issues as Germany won a non-permanent seat at the United Nations Security Council in 2019-2020. Shoukry posted Röttgen on regional conditions as well as Egypt's economic and social development plan, Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid said. Shoukry also apprised the German official of the measures adopted by Egypt within the framework of the economic reform programme to encourage foreign direct investments, especially enacting new investment-friendly legislation. He also reviewed counter-terrorism efforts, citing the comprehensive operation in Sinai. Röttgen expressed deep appreciation of Egypt's historical role, considering Egypt as the cornerstone of regional stability. Röttgen asked Shoukry to expound Egypt's vision on the Libyan and Syrian crises as well as the Palestinian-Israeli peace process. Shoukry said Egypt's vision focuses on the importance of seeking political solutions to the Syrian and Libyan crises through getting feuding parties to sit to the negotiating table away from what he termed as "negative" foreign interference.
