Cairo - Eco - fady labib : Minister of International Cooperation, H.E. Dr. Rania A. Al-Mashat, met with a delegation from the French Treasury to follow up on the status of current projects and harness new opportunities in Egypt - France’s cooperation to provide development financing for green recovery, transportation, housing, sanitation, and health ...
To improve collaborative
governance and project monitoring, the meeting took place in the presence of
Ambassador of France to Egypt Stรฉphane Romatet; Gabriel Cumenge, Deputy
Assistant Secretary Ministry of Finance of France; Sรฉbastien Raspiller, Head of
Financial Sector Department of the French Treasury; Michel Oldenburg, Head of
the French Economic Mission in Cairo; and Fabio Grazi, Director of the French
Development Agency in Cairo.
The meeting comes
following a visit of the French delegation to a number of Egyptian ministries,
which helped identify the next steps to finalize potential agreements, in
addition to charting new and different routes to future cooperation.
During the meeting,
Al-Mashat underlined the value of cooperation between Egypt and France and the
mutual benefit it brings, as it contributes to supporting green recovery and
complements national efforts to guarantee economic growth and the provision of
universal social standards to their citizens in line with the 17 United Nations
Sustainable Development Goals. In December 2020, Egypt and France inked three
financing agreements worth €715.6 million.
Engaging with key
partners in areas of shared interest can advance our goals in reaching the
SDGs, Al-Mashat stated, adding that there is a number of negotiations that were
carried out with several authorities and ministries in Egypt a few days ago,
during the visit of the French Delegation to Egypt in order to discuss the
financing details.
These projects include
cooperation with French university hospitals to provide technical evaluation
and technical studies for the Ministry of Health, and technical cooperation
with the French Blood Foundation EFS to develop plasma donation centers.
The Minister added that
the projects targeted for financing also include the supply of 32 cars for the
first line of the metro, in addition to 32 cars for the third line of the
metro, the rehabilitation of 32 trains in the second and sixth lines of the
metro, and the extension of the railway line from Cairo to Wadi Halfa, and the
railway line with Libya, along with El Arish - Taba line, and the Safaga port.
To promote inclusive
development and reshape Egypt’s economic geography, Al-Mashat noted that the
discussions also touched on supporting national projects that aim to develop
rural villages in Egypt with, particularly in regards to developing water
infrastructure, aerial supervision, and construction.
Al-Mashat also praised
the role of the French Development Agency in expressing keenness to finance
markets in the governorates of Delta and Alexandria, as well as the Regional
Energy Control Center in Alexandria, and the development of Al-Qasr Al-Aini
Hospital, in addition to exploring opportunities for cooperation in digital
communications.
The French delegation
affirmed the strength of Egyptian-French relations and the success of the
recent presidential visit that took place at the end of last year, adding that
there are long-term plans to support the continuation of development projects
in cooperation with several ministries, including the Ministries of Transport,
Health, Civil Aviation and Housing.
Ministry of
International Cooperation focuses on strengthening economic diplomacy through
three main principles: regularly organizing multi-stakeholder platforms to
ensure that all projects between development partners are streamlined and
effectively coordinated; mapping ODA financing to SDGs for all projects with
bilateral and multilateral development partners; and adopting a consistent
Global Partnerships Narrative People&Projects&Purpose (P&P&P).
The history of
cooperation between both countries dates back to 1974, with an economic cooperation
portfolio worth €7.5 billion along with more than 42 signed protocols covering
transportation, electricity, civil aviation, housing and utilities, health,
agriculture and irrigation, micro, small and medium-sized enterprises,
environment, antiquities, and Education, according to the ministry. The current
cooperation portfolio between Egypt and France amounts to €1 billion.
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