Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi in a press conference with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen on Monday in Cairo. (Photo courtesy of the Egyptian Presidency)
The Prime Minister, who is on a three-day visit to Egypt, held a meeting with El-Sisi ahead of the conference.
El-Sisi said that the meeting tackled "very important" topics, including irregular migration from Africa to Europe.
He stressed that "no boat or citizen has crossed from Egypt’s maritime border to Europe since September 2016."
Egypt hosts 6 million refugees and treats them like citizens, El-Sisi added, stressing that tackling issues besting the region is key to addressing the issue of illegal migration.
He pointed out that providing job opportunities to Africans will help stem the flow of those who illegally migrate to Europe searching for better financial prospects.
GERD deal
We spoke of the importance of reaching a legally-binding agreement for the filling and operating of GERD with our Ethiopian brothers, the Egyptian president said.
"Egypt has been trying to reach a reasonable solution through negotiations with our Ethiopian brothers for 10 years. We [Egypt] understand Ethiopia’s need for development and are willing to cooperate so that the Egyptian people are not affected in any way," the president added.
El-Sisi emphasised Egypt's efforts to regenerate its water resources through treatment, recycling and desalination of sea water.
Business partnership
The president highlighted the country's investment opportunities such as utilising the Suez Canal Economic Zone (SCZone) for maritime transport and shipping.
“We [Egypt] are prepared to provide all the required facilities for Danish companies to work in Egypt,” El-Sisi asserted.
For her part, Frederiksen asserted that Egypt is a very strong partner not just of Denmark but of Europe as a whole.
She affirmed that many people in Egypt and Africa are suffering the consequences of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and that a solution must be reached for the current crisis.
El-Sisi also said that the current crisis has repercussions on the security and stability of the region and the whole world.
Climate change cooperation
Frederiksen congratulated Egypt on hosting the 27th UN Climate Change Summit (COP27) in November.
She thanked the Egyptian president for his personal commitment to the issue of climate change and green transition.
The Danish PM echoed El-Sisi’s previous statements that they had joint discussions on the subjects of climate change and green energy.
She confirmed that the two countries have strengthened their bilateral relations over the past few years, especially in terms of green transition and trade exchange.
Egypt and Denmark will increase cooperation in renewable energy and green hydrogen, Frederiksen added.
“Hopefully this cooperation between the big country in the northern part of Africa and the very small, tiny country in the northern part of Europe can inspire others to build stronger bilateral partnerships,” she said.
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