Minister Pusić together with EU ministers meets Egyptian president

Minister Vesna Pusić, together with other Foreign Ministers of the European Union and EU High Representative for Foreign Policy Catherine Ashton, had a meeting in Cairo with Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi Isa El-Ayyat

Minister Vesna Pusić, together with other Foreign Ministers of the European Union and EU High Representative for Foreign Policy Catherine Ashton, had a meeting in Cairo with Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi Isa El-Ayyat. This interesting meeting, as she put it, was also attended by two EC Commissioners – for enlargement and trade – and a number of businessmen who came with the delegations to present their products and services to Egyptian side with a view to, primarily, getting a foothold or, in the case of the companies already present on the Egyptian market, to eliminating bureaucratic barriers and discussing some difficulties they are facing.

“The Egyptian market is very interesting and attractive to all, and President Morsi was very open; he said they are aware there are difficulties in the efficacy of the public administration and barriers thrown in the way of investment companies, but they are prepared to eliminate any difficulties and are very interested in any investments“ – said the Minister, adding that to Egypt the recovery of tourism is a priority, because tourism has plummeted (almost 30 %) in the last period.

The talks included tourist industry and the definition of the Mediterranean as a joint integral destination, especially for overseas visitors such as those from China, Latin America and North America.

President Morsi appealed to all to be patient, stressing that Egypt is focused on the recovery of its own economy.

“The meeting was very interesting and of great use and importance to the representatives of the companies, because they managed to stir interest in their investment. Egyptian market is obviously interesting to our companies and we must be present there, because it is not only a market of 90 million people but also the gate to Northern Africa and Africa at large, from energy to agriculture“ – concluded the Minister.

As she explained, this meeting was organised as the beginning of the establishment of a Task Force for Egypt, in which Croatia participates together with a number of countries. For the first time, Croatian delegation also included a representative of NGOs that was in no way related to state administration but represented an important part of the transformation of Croatian society into a modern, functioning society.

“It turned out that we were the first who, in cooperation with civil society, appeared in such a forum. Presently, we are one of the 6 EU member States that appeared jointly on the side of the state as well as on the side of civil society“ – said the Minister.

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