"Al-Mashat": The need for regular meetings of the Joint Committee and establishing a follow-up mechanism to implement cooperation documents.

Romanian Vice Prime Minister: Egypt is one of Romania's major trade partners.

H.E. Dr. Rania A. Al-Mashat, Minister of Planning, Economic Development, and International Cooperation and head of the Egyptian side of the Egyptian-Romanian Joint Committee, held a session of discussions with Mr. Marian Neacșu, Vice Prime Minister of Romania, during the fourth session of the Joint Committee for Economic, Scientific, and Technical Cooperation held in Bucharest. The meeting was attended by members of the Egyptian delegation, including: Mr. Alaa Farouk, Minister of Agriculture and Land Reclamation; Mr. Basil Rahmi, CEO of MSMEDA  the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise Development Agency; Mr. Mohamed Aboumoussa, Assistant Governor of the Central Bank of Egypt; and Ambassador Moayed Al-Delei, Egypt’s Ambassador to Romania.

From the Romanian side, the meeting was attended by the Minister of Economy, Entrepreneurship, and Tourism; the Minister of Investment and European Projects; and other officials.

The meeting witnessed discussions between the Egyptian delegation and the Vice Prime Minister of Romania, along with government representatives, on many areas of mutual interest. This comes in light of Egypt’s interest in expanding cooperation with Romania on all fronts. 

The two sides discussed ways to strengthen cooperation in the financial and banking sectors, green transition efforts, and increasing green hydrogen production in line with Egypt's strategy to become a regional hub for this vital industry. Cooperation was also discussed in infrastructure, cybersecurity, telecommunications, and information technology.

H.E. Dr. Rania A. Al-Mashat emphasized that the Egyptian government was keen on convening the Joint Committee as a main mechanism to expand cooperation and promote development efforts through deepening partnerships in areas of mutual interest. She highlighted the importance of the results achieved so far and the signing of memoranda of understanding in a number of fields, such as energy, natural gas, agriculture. 

H.E. Minister Al-Mashat reaffirmed the need for regular meetings of the committee, which would enhance its role in following up on the memoranda of understanding, overcoming any challenges. She also suggested implementing a quarterly follow-up mechanism with relevant stakeholders from both countries.

The meeting also provided an opportunity to review the key economic developments in Egypt, including the government’s efforts to strengthen macroeconomic stability and create a business environment that is more attractive to investments. This is being achieved through structural reforms, financial and investment expenditure control, and creating space for the private sector. 

H.E. Dr. Al-Mashat emphasized the government’s commitment to attracting more Romanian investments to Egypt, noting that the business forum between the two countries provides significant opportunities to explore cooperation between the private sectors and identify investment opportunities.

For his part, the Romanian Vice Prime Minister stated that Egypt is considered one of Romania's key trade partners, in addition to cooperation in other investment areas and beyond. He underscored the importance of connecting the private sectors of both countries to deepen mutual cooperation across all fields. He also highlighted the need to follow up on the cooperation documents signed during the Joint Committee sessions and to explore future proposed areas of collaboration.