MUSCAT: Dr Sameh Shoukry, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Arab Republic of Egypt, has lauded the efforts of the Sultanate of Oman, under the leadership of His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik, to boost the country’s economy and attract investments, which will in turn achieve progress and prosperity for the Sultanate in various spheres. This came during a joint press conference held with Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr Hamad al Busaidy, at the Foreign Ministry’s premises here on Sunday.
Shoukry affirmed that the meeting of the Omani-Egyptian Joint Committee and the MoUs signed between both sides during the meeting, will contribute to promoting the march of development in the two countries and meet the aspirations of their peoples. Work is underway to explore more areas of cooperation that contribute to augmenting the volume of trade exchange between the two countries, affirmed the Egyptian Foreign Affairs Minister.
Shoukry added that Oman and Egypt have promising opportunities that require more efforts to bolster trade and investment cooperation. These advantages, the Egyptian minister affirmed, will enable Egypt to be a gateway for Omani products heading for African and European countries.
They also enable Oman to be a gateway for the Egyptian products, said Shoukry. As for the negotiations on the Renaissance Dam, he pointed out that Egypt was not to blame for the impasse in negotiations, halted since the last negotiations were held under the supervision of the African Union. He affirmed that Egypt is always ready to resume negotiations with Ethiopia if there is a political will to help reach an agreement.
The Egyptian Minister of Foreign Affairs underscored his country’s keenness to reach consensus between the three countries and to forge a legally binding agreement in accordance with the rules of international law and practices to meet the needs of all parties, namely Ethiopia's right for development and the right of Egypt and Sudan to their share of the Nile waters.
Regarding the return of Syria to the Arab League, the Egyptian Minister said, "We hope that favourable conditions will prevail so that Syria could return to the Arab League and play its role as a supporting element for the Arab national security. We will continue to communicate with Arab countries to achieve this purpose.”
On his turn, Sayyid Badr affirmed Oman’s support for the Renaissance Dam negotiations. He described the Egyptian stand as valid and reasonable, noting that Oman looks forward to the two sides’ reaching an agreement that satisfies the interests of all countries that are party to the accord. Sayyid Badr added that the consultations held by the Sultanate of Oman and the Arab Republic of Egypt featured many common issues and focused on exchanging views about the way to maximize benefits from the deep-rooted political and historical relations.
Sayyid Badr added that, within the context of the 15th session of Oman-Egypt Joint Committee, a number of agreements were signed to spruce up cooperation in different economic, commercial, investment and cultural relations. Sayyid Badr pointed out that the Omani-Egyptian Businessmen’s Council and the private sectors in the two countries look forward to opportunities to expand commercial exchange and engage in quality investments with greater returns, namely within the two countries’ visions for domestic development. - ONA
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