The mini Africa-Europe summit brought together leaders and representatives from Egypt, Germany, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, France, South Africa, Nigeria, and the Comoros Islands as the current chair of the African Union, along with the European Union, the World Bank, and the International Monetary Fund.

The Egyptian presidency highlighted the negative impact of current international developments on food security especially in Africa.

El-Sisi stressed that these challenges requires a shared vision to enhance the governance of the global food security system.

This vision should be centred on the importance of a multilateral framework and the coherence of efforts by international financial institutions in responding swiftly and effectively to the crisis, addressing its multiple roots and dimensions.

Furthermore, the president reaffirmed that one of the top priorities of Egypt's presidency of the NEPAD (New Partnership for Africa's Development) is to activate the comprehensive African programme for agricultural development to support food security in Africa.

The summit also addressed the AU formally joining the G20. 

President El-Sisi welcomed this development, emphasizing that it represents a positive step toward enabling the continent to prioritize its issues on the international agenda.

Meeting with von der Leyen
 

On the sideline of the G20 summit meeting, President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi also met with President of the European Union Commission Ursula von der Leyen to discuss ways to boost and deepen EU-Egyptian relations.

El-Sisi said that Egypt considers the EU a crucial partner in development, including on major infrastructure projects, energy initiatives, and the green transition.

Meanwhile, the EU Commission president highlighted the importance of the EU-Egypt Partnership Priorities Document 2021-2027 to deepening their partnership.

“There is good momentum in the European-Egyptian relations and we should keep it going” said von der Layan on her Twitter account on Saturday following their meeting.

The EU Commission president added that she assured El-Sisi of the EU’s continued support for food and security.

President El-Sisi arrived in India on Friday to participate in the 18th G20 summit, taking place in New Delhi from 9-10 September.

This is the third time Egypt has participated in the G20, following the China summit in 2016 and Japan in 2019.