Photo: Egyptian Foreign Ministry
Ambassador Shouket said this during an exclusive interview with AlQahera News Channel.
He noted that Gwadar Port is a key gateway linking western China and Central Asia to global markets.
Shouket described Egypt–Pakistan relations as “multifaceted and deeply rooted,” spanning historical and cultural ties as well as cooperation in economic, defence, and investment fields.
He added that the two countries have already concluded more than 40 agreements and memoranda of understanding.
The ambassador said expanding trade with Africa and the Middle East remains one of Pakistan’s top priorities, underscoring Islamabad’s focus on strengthening its position in global trade, investment, and defence partnerships.
As part of this effort, Pakistan recently organized a major exhibition in Cairo to promote its products to African markets, a step he said reflects Pakistan’s growing interest in the continent.
Shouket also highlighted the role of the Developing Eight Organization for Economic Cooperation (D-8), stressing the need to reduce tariff and non-tariff barriers among member states, make better use of the large markets for halal products, and increase private-sector participation with government support.
He said Pakistan maintains balanced relations with all its partners and does not allow its ties with any country to affect its relations with others. This policy, he added, shapes Pakistan’s relations with Arab countries, Western states, and major powers including China, the United States, and Russia.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty focused during his recent visit to Islamabad on Cairo’s interest in exploring practical steps to link the SCZone with Gwadar Port, including the localization of value-added industries within the SCZone to create a strategic production and logistics corridor between the two countries.
During the November visit, Abdelatty delivered a letter from President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi to President Asif Ali Zardari. Both sides agreed to prepare a cooperation roadmap for 2026 and expand political, economic, and security coordination.
Gwadar Port, located in Pakistan’s southwestern province of Balochistan, is a central component of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a flagship project of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
Its location near major maritime routes in the Arabian Sea makes it a deep-sea transhipment hub linking western China, Central Asia, the Gulf region, and East Africa.
Connecting Gwadar to the Suez Canal, which handles about 12 percent of global trade, would create a new trade route linking South Asia with Mediterranean and African markets through Egypt’s SCZone.
For Egypt, the plan aligns with its goal of developing the SCZone into a global logistics and manufacturing hub with partnerships across Europe, the Gulf, and Asia.
The proposal to link the two ports also reflects Cairo’s broader effort to expand its role in Asian trade routes and attract investment from South Asian partners.
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