Egypt, Burkina Faso keen to boost economic ties

Egypt’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Co-operation and Egyptian Expatriates Badr Abdelatty met on Tuesday with Burkina Faso’s Foreign Minister Karamoko Traoré to discuss ways of boosting bilateral relations and exchange views on a number of regional issues of mutual interest.

Minister Abdelatty welcomed the growing momentum in relations between Egypt and Burkina Faso and their shared commitment to taking their ties to broader horizons.

He stressed the importance of strengthening trade, economic and investment co-operation across various fields, particularly energy, infrastructure, healthcare and pharmaceuticals.

Abdelatty expressed hope that the Egyptian-Burkinabè Business Forum, being held on the sidelines of the Burkinabè foreign minister’s visit, would produce tangible outcomes that would help boost trade and investment between the two countries.

He also underscored the importance of enhancing capacity-building programmes provided by Egyptian national institutions and Al-Azhar Al-Sharif.

On regional developments, Minister Abdelatty reaffirmed Egypt’s full support for efforts to combat terrorism in West Africa and the Sahel, stressing the need for a comprehensive approach that combines security and development dimensions.

He highlighted the pivotal role the Aswan Forum for Peace and Development in the Sahel could play in this regard.

The two ministers also exchanged views on ways to promote stability and security in the region, particularly in light of Burkina Faso’s presidency of the Alliance of Sahel States.

Abdelatty invited his Burkinabè counterpart to participate in the sixth edition of the Aswan Forum for Sustainable Peace and Development, scheduled to be held in November.

For his part, Traoré praised the steady development and growing momentum in Egyptian-Burkinabè relations, expressing his country’s appreciation for the level of co-operation and co-ordination between the two sides.