President of Egypt Abdel Fattah el-Sissi said he discussed with Armenian President Vahagn Khachaturyan a number of international and regional issues of common interest, in the Middle East and South Caucasus. The two presidents confirmed the importance of dialogue, negotiation, and sustained action to achieve permanent, comprehensive, and just peace to complete the course of peace, to achieve a better reality and decent life for the people, particularly at present when the people’s suffering has doubled at the economic level, in light of the consequences of the coronavirus pandemic and the Russian-Ukrainian crisis, President of Egypt Abdel Fattah el-Sisi said during a joint press conference with his Armenian counterpart.

President el-Sisi said he is confident that his visit to Armenia will represent a real starting point, by the political momentum gained and understanding shared at the summit level, to strengthen Egyptian-Armenian relations in various fields, particularly at the economic and investment level.

The Egyptian President expressed his country’s readiness to participate in the implementation of infrastructure projects in Armenia.

Below is the official transcript of the Egyptian president’s speech at the joint press conference. 

“Your Excellency President Vahagn Khachaturyan

President of the Republic of Armenia,

Ministers,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I would like to start by expressing my pleasure of being present today in the capital, Yerevan, as the first Egyptian president to visit this wonderful city, since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, which marked their 30th anniversary in 2022.

This visit reflects the extent of interest and appreciation that Egypt has for its relations with Armenia and its interest in developing them in various fields as an extension of the historical relations, which have their own unique characteristics at the popular level. This dates back to the days when Egypt hosted tens of thousands of Armenians who lived in Egypt and made significant contributions to various political, economic, cultural, and artistic fields. Their role had the most positive impact on enriching Egyptian society.

It is also my pleasure to express my sincere gratitude and deep appreciation for the generous hospitality and warm reception that we have enjoyed since our arrival in the friendly land of Armenia. This friendly atmosphere had an impact on today's discussions, which I held with His Excellency President Vahagn.

The meeting touched on the huge leap Egypt has achieved in the field of energy production. This is not only in connection with the field of gas but also in connection with the launch of the National Strategy for Green Hydrogen. The strategy made it a promising investment destination, given the availability of the necessary energy resources for industry and the associated free and preferential trade agreements with Arab and African countries. This gives products manufactured in Egypt major competitive advantages.

I also expressed, in this context, Egypt's appreciation for the participation of President Vahagn in World Climate Summit COP27, held in Sharm El-Sheikh in November 2022. This demonstrated the extent of attention that Armenia attaches to the climate issue.

On the economic level, we confirmed the importance of joint action to increase trade between the two countries to be commensurate with their promising potential and distinct political relations, due to their popular specificity. This requires the activation and revitalization of the existing economic mechanisms between the two countries to make the most of them, mainly the joint commission on economic, scientific, and technical cooperation and the businessman forum.

The talks also reviewed Egypt's efforts to overcome the obstacles that foreign investors face and the major national projects, which the entire of Egypt witnessed, to achieve development and advance the national economy, particularly the Suez Canal Economic Zone, and the benefits it offers to foreign investors, giving access to products to a large number of neighboring Arab and African markets, as well as the issuance of the “Golden License”.

We also reviewed Egypt's major leaps in infrastructure and transportation and the experience Egyptian companies have in this sector and their ability to implement projects, conforming to international standards, in a record time. I expressed to President Vahagn Cairo’s readiness to share their experience with Yerevan in this sector, at the technical level, and to participate in the implementation of infrastructure projects in Armenia.

During my discussions with His Excellency President Vahagn, we discussed a number of international and regional issues of common interest, in the Middle East and South Caucasus. We confirmed the importance of dialogue, negotiation, and sustained action to achieve permanent, comprehensive, and just peace to complete the course of peace, to achieve a better reality and decent life for the people, particularly at present when the people’s suffering has doubled at the economic level, in light of the consequences of the coronavirus pandemic and the Russian-Ukrainian crisis.

Once again, I wish President Vahagn success in leading Armenia and its people, who are dear to the hearts of the Egyptians. I am confident that this visit will represent a real starting point, by the political momentum gained and understanding shared at the summit level, to strengthen Egyptian-Armenian relations in various fields, particularly at the economic and investment level, in light of Egypt's experience in a number of industrial sectors that are of priority for the Armenian market.

I wish Armenia and its friendly people success, progress, and prosperity.

Thank you.”