Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry and his Finnish counterpart Pekka Haavisto, who is also the European Union special representative for Sudan, agreed on the importance of continuing joint action to counter terrorism, the Egyptian foreign ministry said. 

According to the statement issued about their talks in Cairo on Tuesday, the two sides also affirmed the importance of enhancing efforts by the international community to uproot terrorism.

The meeting also touched on means of developing bilateral relations between Egypt and Finland with views exchanged on the regional issues of mutual interest, topped by conditions in Sudan, the spokesman added.

The meeting dealt with the latest developments in Sudan, with Shoukry highlighting Egypt's efforts to maintain stability in the neighbouring country.

Meanwhile, the Finnish foreign minister stressed the importance his country attaches to consolidating relations with Egypt, underlining the necessity of upgrading cooperation between the two sides in various fields.

The talks also tackled the situation in Yemen and Syria in addition to efforts to revive the peace process in the Middle East. 

Finland is the current president of the European Union. 

Following their talks, Shoukry underlined the importance of relations with Finland in a joint press conference with his Finnish counterpart.

Shoukry added that the two sides reached an agreement on activating a joint business council.

The two sides also are seeking to explore more fields of cooperation, especially at the economic level, Shoukry added.

They also discussed means of increasing Finnish tourists to Egypt, he added.

Haavisto expressed happiness to be visiting Egypt, pointing out that he discussed with the Egyptian foreign minister bilateral relations and issues of mutual concern.

He said his visit to Egypt is part of a tour to a number of countries, including Saudi Arabia, in his country's capacity as the current president of the European Union.

The top Finnish diplomat said he also discussed with Shoukry means to fight extremism, given that some Finnish nationals have been adopting extremist ideologies. 

Haavisto added that his tour of the region includes Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to hear their viewpoints on Sudan.

He stressed the importance of maintaining Sudan's stability during the current phase, expressing the EU's readiness to play a role in this respect, calling for encouraging foreign investors to invest in Sudan.

On Egypt's economic reforms, the Finnish foreign minister said the EU backs the reform process.

Shoukry, meanwhile, highlighted efforts exerted by Egypt to support the Sudanese people and protect their country's stability in a way that ensures a smooth power transition.

He pointed out that President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi presided over a mini-African summit in Cairo recently to discuss the latest developments in Sudan.