The first round of the Joint Higher Committee’s preparatory meetings at the expert and ministerial levels between Egypt and South Sudan launched on Tuesday, Minister of International Cooperation Rania Al-Mashat announced.

The meetings are the first to be held since signing the Higher Committee Establishment Agreement in January 2012.

The meetings come within the framework of strengthening joint economic relations between Egypt and South Sudan and showing Egypt’s keenness to strengthening economic relations with fellow African countries.

It also comes in implementation of Egypt’s Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly’s directives, issued in October 2020, to start the preparations of the Joint Higher Committee between the two countries, after which the Ministry of International Cooperation held the first coordination meeting in November 2020, between line ministries and entities concerned with strengthening cooperation with South Sudan, whereas the second meeting was held last June.

Additionally, several field visits were also carried out by line ministries and technical entities to discuss the proposed areas of cooperation between both countries.

Madbouly and South Sudan's Vice President James Wani Igga chaired the first session of talks of the Egyptian-South Sudanese Higher Committee, where they witnessed the signing of several cooperation agreements between the two countries.

Al-Mashat emphasised that holding the first session of the Egyptian-South Sudanese Higher Committee comes as part of the agreement signed in 2012 between both countries, reflecting Egypt’s keenness to enhance cooperation with African countries, under the leadership of President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi.

She also referred to the Egyptian president’s visit to South Sudan in November 2020 and his directives to advance development efforts and joint relations between both countries.

Al-Mashat further mentioned that there are several areas of joint cooperation between both countries across various sectors, including water resources, irrigation, health, education and electricity, expressing that this cooperation paves the way for advancing development efforts in Sudan.

It also leads to strengthening Egyptian investments that aim to deepen economic relations between Egypt and South Sudan, which in turn makes room for enhancing the private sector’s engagement, according to Al-Mashat.