In this photo provided by Egypt's state news agency MENA, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi, addresses parliament in Cairo, Egypt, Saturday, Feb. 13, 2016 (AP)
Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi will head to Japan at the end of February in a visit intended to open new horizons for Egyptian-Japanese cooperation, state-owned MENA news agency reported on Monday.
Japanese MP Yuriko Koike, the head of the Japan-Egypt Parliamentary Friendship Association, said during her visit to Egypt that El-Sisi is interested in boosting cooperation in the fields of education and scientific research.
She added that the Egyptian president will discuss with Japanese officials a possible increase in Tokyo contribution in the Grand Egyptian Museum being built near Giza's pyramids as well as Cairo Metro Line 4, among other projects.
On Saturday, Egypt's trade and industry minister Tarek Qabil said that El-Sisi's visit counts as an important step towards enhancing economic, trade and investment relations between the two countries.
Qabil described the visit as a good chance to discuss investment opportunities in Egypt and establishing partnerships between the Egyptian and Japanese private sectors at a time when Egypt is launching several national mega-projects.
During the visit, his first since he came to power in 2014, El-Sisi is expected to meet with senior officials including the Japanese prime minister, the Japanese emperor, Japanese MPs and representatives of Egyptian and Japanese companies.
In November 2015, Egypt's ambassador to Japan Ismail Khairat said that Japan was committed to financing a solar power plant in Hurghada at a cost of $100 million, the first deal of its kind between the two countries in the renewable energy field.
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