Pakistan, Egypt vow to deepen bilateral trade, defense ties

Egyptian FM Abdelatty calls on President Zardari, COAS Asim Munir

RAWALPINDI: Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty met Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir at the General Headquarters in Rawalpindi, where the two discussed “defence and security cooperation, military exchanges, training collaborations and regional peace and stability”, a statement issued by the Foreign Office (FO) said on Sunday.

Abdelatty arrived in Islamabad last night for a two-day official visit and also met President Asif Ali Zardari and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar earlier on Sunday.

The FO statement said during his meeting with Field Marshal Munir, “both sides reaffirmed the importance of continued high-level engagement between the armed forces of the two countries”.

Abdelatty also called on President Zardari at Aiwan-i-Sadr on Sunday.

A statement by the President’s Secretariat said Zardari told the Egyptian FM that “Pakistan values its longstanding ties with Egypt, which are rooted in shared faith and mutual respect, and looks forward to advancing the relationship in a more structured and forward-looking direction”.

He also conveyed warm greetings for Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi.

According to the statement, the president noted that “this year marks 77 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries and expressed the hope that both sides will reinvigorate cooperation in trade, investment and people-to-people exchanges”.

He encouraged greater Egyptian investment in sectors where opportunities are expanding, including energy, logistics, construction, agriculture, mining and IT, the statement said.

For his part, Abdelatty delivered a message from the Egyptian president and expressed “Egypt’s keen interest in expanding its partnership with Pakistan in various fields”, it added.

The two sides also exchanged views on key regional and international issues, reaffirming their resolve to work together for peace, stability, and prosperity.

The statement said earlier, the two leaders also held a one-on-one meeting and exchanged views on key issues of mutual interest.

Pakistan to share list of 250 business houses

Before meeting with Zardari, Abdelatty also met Dar separately, and the two addressed a joint press conference.

Dar said during the press conference that he and Abdelatty had a “very, very focused discussion” today on how their nations could contribute to elevating the business-to-business upscaling of the bilateral activities, which the deputy PM termed as “surely not commensurate”, with around $300 million.

“With the depth and the affection the two countries have, […] Pakistan will share with Egypt a comprehensive list of 250 Pakistani business houses representing key sectors of the economy,” Dar announced.

“These businesses will be facilitated and supported to enhance bilateral commercial engagement,” the deputy premier highlighted.

The deputy PM detailed that the business houses will be chosen from “across the board” and through due consultation. Staff Report