Minister Grabar-Kitarović on official visit to Egypt; met with Parliament Speaker Ahmed Fathi Souror, Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif, Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit

The main topic of the meeting were the bilateral relations between the two countries and the possibility of their improvement. Minister Grabar-Kitarović and Parliament Speaker Ahmed Fathi Souror talked about the co-operation of the parliamentary committees, while a part of the meeting also concerned the economic, cultural, and scientific relations, as well as multilateral co-operation. Minister Grabar-Kitarović communicated the invitation for the return visit of the Egyptian parliamentarians to the Republic of Croatia.

The meeting between Minister Grabar-Kitarović and Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif paid special attention to the development of the economic, cultural, and scientific co-operation. Concrete areas of economic exchange were reviewed, namely in transport, industry, and energy, with the Egyptian side expressing its interest for a more intense usage of Croatian ports, primarily Rijeka and Ploče. The meeting also discussed the preparations for the 3rd joint session of the Croatian-Egyptian Economic Co-operation Committee that is soon to be held in Zagreb.

Minister Grabar-Kitarović and Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit also focused on the bilateral relations between the tow countries, which are without open issues. Both sides agreed that the economic co-operation is constantly on the rise and expressed a wish for its further intensification. They also reviewed multilateral-level co-operation, namely within the UN and the Barcelona Process. In that regard, Minister Grabar-Kitarović thanked for the support the Arab Republic of Egypt has offered Croatia so far for its joining the Pan-Euro-Med origin cumulation system.

The two ministers also exchanged opinions about the current issues regarding the Middle East and North Africa. Minister Grabar-Kitarović familiarised her counterpart with Croatia’s contribution to the UN Security Council’s peacekeeping missions and its participation in numerous peacekeeping missions around the world. She also informed him about Croatia’s candidacy for a non-permanent Security Council member for the 2008-2009 period. The two ministers reviewed the current events in the Croatia’s EU accession process, as well as the state of affairs and regional issues in South East Europe.