During the presser, Hartmann said Germany share the same interests as Egypt regarding the production of renewable energy to protect the environment.

Germany supports Egypt's goal of raising the renewable energy component in the production of electricity to 42 percent, he said.

The ambassador added that Germany is interested in importing LNG from Egypt to use in German homes, underscoring that Egypt has great potential in the field of producing natural gas.

Germany has intensified cooperation with Egypt in renewable energy, including solar and wind power, and will cooperate with Egypt in green hydrogen in the future, Hartmann said.

Last November, Egypt and Germany signed two MoUs to enhance cooperation on the production of green hydrogen and trade in LNG, under which Germany will help Egypt build up a sustainable green hydrogen value chain.

Egypt seeks to become a hub for green hydrogen production and has agreed on cooperation with European countries to produce hydrogen.

Decent Life

Germany supports the Egyptian presidential initiative Decent Life (Haya Karima), Hartmann said, hailing the government’s work on this initiative and infrastructure projects.

Germany can support the initiative by further contributing to education in Egypt, especially in the countryside, in order to reduce the number of students in each classroom, Hartmann said.

Germany can also provide better training for teachers in order to build capacities and enhance teaching methods, he added.

Additionally, Germany can help the Egyptian government in environmental protection with regard to the use of plastic and plastic waste.

Decent Life, which was launched by Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi in 2019, seeks to develop more than 4500 villages across the Egyptian countryside that are home to 58 percent of Egypt’s 104-million population.

Civil Society

In the presser, Hartmann stressed on the need to ensure freedom of expression and opinion and allow civil society to operate freely.

The ambassador said that Germany continuously communicates with the Egyptian government on this issue.

Aswan visit

Hartmann said the programme of his visit to Aswan addressed all forms of cooperation between Egypt and Germany, including in the fields of development, women empowerment, culture, agriculture, academic cooperation, and pre-university and university education.

The UN World Food Programme's (WFP) activity in Aswan, and in Egypt in general, is of great interest to Germany, Hartmann said.

Germany is the largest supporter of the programme in Egypt because its activity includes vital areas such as agriculture, community education, women’s empowerment, and school meals.

Impressive

The ambassador said he also visited the Magdi Yacoub Heart Foundation in Aswan, to which Germany has donated some equipment, adding that he was impressed by the institution.

The Magdi Yacoub Heart Foundation, which was founded by renowned Egyptian-British heart surgeon Magdi Yacoub in 2008, provides free medical services for the less fortunate as well as provide scientific, medical and nursing training.

Impacts of Ukraine-Russia crisis

Hartmann said the world, including Egypt and developing countries, has been heavily affected by the Russia-Ukraine crisis, which triggered a global food crisis and a rise in commodity prices.

He added that Germany has worked on alleviating the severity of the economic, financial, and food crises that Egypt has gone through due to the Ukraine war by increasing the German contributions to the WFP.

Palestinian cause

Hartmann said the German government is concerned about the recent escalation between the Israeli and Palestinian sides and rejects Israeli plans to build 10,000 settlements.

The ambassador said Germany talked to Egypt’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Sameh Shoukry regarding the desire to hold a meeting for the quartet group, which comprises the foreign ministers of Egypt, France, Germany, and Jordan, to discuss the Palestinian cause.

He added that the meeting could not be held as Shoukry had to travel to Addis Ababa to partake in the African Union summit in February.

The Munich group was established on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference in February 2020 with the aim of discussing efforts to revive the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.