Preparatory Experts & Ministerial Level Meetings Convene for the First Joint Higher Committee Between Egypt & South Sudan in Cairo

The first round of the joint Higher Committee’s preparatory meetings at the expert and ministerial levels between Egypt and South Sudan were held on July 27, which is considered the first joint committee to take place since signing the establishment agreement in January 2012. This comes within the framework of strengthening joint economic relations between Egypt and South Sudan, and shows Egypt’s keenness to strengthen economic relations with countries of the African region. It also comes within the framework of Prime Minister, H.E. Dr. Mostafa Madbouly’s directives in October 2020, to start the preparations of the joint Higher Committee between Egypt and South Sudan, after which the Ministry of International Cooperation held the first coordination meeting in November 2020, between line ministries and entities concerned with strengthening cooperation with South Sudan, whereas the second meeting was held last June. In addition, several field visits were also carried out by line ministries and technical entities to discuss the proposed areas of cooperation between both countries. The Minister of International Cooperation H.E. Dr. Rania A. Al-Mashat chaired the coordination meeting at the ministerial level with the participation of several Egyptian and South Sudanese entities. H.E. Al-Mashat represented the Egyptian side in the preparatory meetings, and Ambassador of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of South Sudan, Beatrice Wani represented the Sudanese side. It is worth noting that Prime Minister, H.E Dr. Mostafa Madbouly, and South Sudan's Vice President James Wani Igga chaired the first session of talks of the Egyptian-South Sudanese higher committee, where they witnessed the signing of several cooperation agreements between the two countries.. H.E. Al-Mashat emphasized that holding the first session of the Egyptian-South Sudanese higher committee comes as part of the agreement signed in 2012 between both countries, reflecting Egypt’s keenness to enhance cooperation with African countries, under the leadership of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi. Minister Al-Mashat referred to the Egyptian President’s visit to South Sudan in November 2020 and his directives to advance development efforts and joint relations between both countries. Al-Mashat further mentioned that there are several areas of joint cooperation between both countries across various sectors - including water resources, irrigation, health, education and electricity - expressing that this cooperation paves the way for advancing development efforts in Sudan. It also leads to strengthening Egyptian investments that aim to deepen economic relations between Egypt and South Sudan, which in turn makes room for enhancing private sector’s engagement. The Minister added that in the past period, joint relations between both countries witnessed successful mutual technical visits, the latest of which targeted sectors of agriculture, higher education, trade, industry, supply, health, etc. H.E. Al-Mashat indicated that holding the Higher Commitee’s meeting will magnify this joint relation, adding that it reflects the Ministry’s doctrine of Economic Diplomacy; through which the Ministry seeks to strengthen economic relations between the Arab Republic of Egypt and other countries across the region, and to advance cooperation frameworks across various fields that are reflected in development efforts. Egypt has been keen on consolidating economic and development cooperation with South Sudan since its independence in 2011, where several memorandums of understanding (MoUs) were signed across various sectors such as agriculture, health, environment, education, petroleum, culture, water resources and irrigation.