Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry discussed with his Portuguese counterpart, Augusto Santos Silva, the latest developments related to the dispute over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), stressing Egypt's stance based on the importance of reaching a legally binding agreement.

In a phone call on Tuesday, Shoukry and Santos, whose country assumed the European Union’s six-month rotating presidency on 1January, reviewed other regional issues of mutual concern, including the crises in Libya, the Horn of Africa, the Sahel region, and the Eastern Mediterranean.

Both ministers discussed how to promote cooperation ties between the European Union and the southern neighborhood countries, according to a statement by the Egyptian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Ahmed Hafez.

Minister Shoukry congratulated Silva on the chairmanship of Portugal for the European Union in 2021, expressing Egypt's keenness to continue coordination to promote ties with the EU and enhance European-African cooperation, Hafez added.

Shoukry also expressed Cairo's aspiration to cement the bilateral cooperation with Portugal in all fields, increase trade exchange, promote tourism, intensify cultural cooperation and encourage Portuguese companies to invest in Egypt.