Ahmed Kamel – Egypt Daily News
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdel-Aati met with British Minister of State for International Development and Africa Jenny Chapman to discuss enhancing bilateral cooperation in Africa, promoting regional stability, and supporting sustainable development initiatives.
The meeting focused on deepening political, economic, and trade relations between Egypt and the United Kingdom, with particular attention to increasing British investment in Egypt amid improvements in the country’s investment climate driven by recent economic and structural reforms.
Abdel-Aati highlighted Egypt’s approach to African cooperation, emphasizing priority-based projects, sharing successful national development experiences, particularly in infrastructure, and fostering partnerships between public and private sectors. He cited the successful implementation of Tanzania’s Julius Nyerere Dam as a model of Egypt-Africa development collaboration and noted that the Egyptian Agency for Partnership for Development, along with African Union bodies hosted in Egypt, remains open to strengthening trilateral cooperation with international partners.
Regional Security and Humanitarian Efforts
On Sudan, Abdel-Aati briefed Chapman on the latest developments and Egypt’s active engagement within the Quad mechanism. He stressed the importance of reaching a rapid humanitarian truce as a step toward a comprehensive ceasefire and an inclusive political process led entirely by Sudanese authorities. He emphasized the need to establish safe humanitarian corridors to ensure unhindered aid delivery, reaffirming Egypt’s firm stance supporting Sudan’s unity, sovereignty, territorial integrity, and national institutions.
Regarding Somalia, the minister underscored the need to support the country’s sovereignty and expedite funding for the African Union Mission for Support and Stability in Somalia (AUSSOM). He outlined plans for deploying Egyptian forces as part of the mission to combat terrorism and bolster security and stability in Somalia and the broader Horn of Africa region. Abdel-Aati also affirmed Egypt’s commitment to countering terrorism and extremism in West Africa and the Sahel, while promoting active trilateral cooperation with international partners to enhance regional security and sustainable development.
British Perspective and Cooperation
Minister Chapman praised Egypt’s growing role in supporting development and stability across Africa, highlighting the Egyptian approach of combining security with sustainable development and economic partnerships. She expressed the United Kingdom’s interest in continued coordination with Egypt on regional issues, particularly in Sudan, Somalia, and the Sahel, and emphasized London’s readiness to strengthen trilateral cooperation aimed at stabilizing the region, fostering development, and building local capacities.
The meeting reinforced the shared commitment of Egypt and the United Kingdom to deepen collaboration in Africa, combining security, development, and investment initiatives to advance regional peace, prosperity, and sustainable growth.
