Egypt's Minister of Antiquities Khaled El-Anani received on Tuesday Japanese ambassador in Cairo Masaaki Nuki to discuss the progress of work on the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) , which is scheduled to open in late 2020.

The Japanese ambassador stressed that his country's government is keen on seeing the GEM completed, and described the project as one of the most successful between Egypt and Japan. 

Construction on the museum began in 2006 with partial funding from the Japanese government.

The meeting was attended by the president of the Egypt-Japan University of Science and Technology (EJUST).

Minister El-Anany has said that the ministry has strict directives from the country's political leadership that the GEM should open in 2020.

The GEM complex is located on an area of approximately 500,000 square meters adjacent to the Pyramids of Giza. It is one of the largest museums in the world displaying the heritage of a single civilisation. 

The GEM project stalled following the outbreak of the revolution in January 2011.

Construction resumed in 2016, and 80 percent of the work has been completed so far, according to a statement in March by the antiquities minister.

The total cost of the museum is expected to reach $1 billion, $450 million of which is being provided by Japan.