Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabić emphasised the importance of Egypt’s pivotal role in the region to support regional stability and affirmed Serbia’s readiness to fully support Egypt in this regard.
She expressed her appreciation for the progress of negotiations on the Free Trade Agreement between the two countries, which contributes to enhancing trade in agriculture, energy, tourism, telecommunications, and information technology sectors, as well as her support for cooperation between the two sides in the field of food security and the possibility of wheat exports to Egypt.
This came during a meeting between Egyptian Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouli and his Serbian counterpart Ana Brnabić on Monday during the “Global Government Summit” in Dubai, in the presence of Minister of Communications and Information Technology Amr Talaat and Egypt’s Ambassador to the UAE Sherif Issa.
During the meeting, the Serbian premier expressed her honor to receiving President Abdel Fattah El Sisi in Serbia in July 2022 and said Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić’s is anticipating a visit to Egypt in the near future to see the development witnessed by the Egyptian state in light of the ongoing and planned massive projects.
She also thanked the Egyptian state for its efforts in supporting Serbia’s win to host the World Expo 2027 in the elections held on June 21, 2023, in Paris, confirming that this reflects the depth of cooperation and friendship between the two countries.
For his part, Madbouli conveyed President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi’s greetings to his Serbian counterpart, pointing out to President El-Sisi’s historic visit to Serbia in July 2022, which yielded significant positive results for both countries, and stressing the importance of continuing high-level visits to maintain the momentum in bilateral relations in various fields.
The Prime Minister also congratulated his Serbian counterpart on holding early parliamentary and local elections on December 17, 2023, and the convening of the first session of the new Serbian parliament on February 6, 2024. He praised the significant development witnessed in relations between the two countries in recent years.
Madbouli praised the cooperation and joint coordination between Egypt and Serbia within the framework of international organizations and supporting the nominations of both countries for various international positions, especially with Serbia’s initial support for the candidacy of Dr. Khaled El-Anany for the position of Director-General of UNESCO.
He emphasized Egypt’s aspiration to enhance and push economic cooperation, especially increasing the rates of trade exchange between the two sides, as well as Egypt’s desire to develop cooperation in the field of wheat and grain imports, especially given the known quality of Serbian wheat, and to study the possibility of developing an institutional framework for cooperation in this regard.
The premier also affirmed the Egyptian state’s keenness to encourage and support the private sector, expressing Egypt’s aspiration to enhance cooperation with Serbia in the fields of information technology and digital transformation, especially in light of the technological leap that occurred in Serbia in recent years, resulting in significant development in the field of information technology and digital transformation, especially in government services and public administration. He pointed out Egypt’s efforts in the field of communications and information technology, which make Egypt a favorable environment for attracting foreign investment in this field.
In the same context, the two sides exchanged views on regional developments, especially the situation in Gaza, Egyptian efforts to mediate between the parties, and reach a ceasefire.
In this regard, Madbouli reiterated the importance of stopping the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip in light of the current escalation at the regional level.
