CAIRO – January 20, 2022: Egypt and South Korea have held several meetings in recent years, including exchanges of visits by presidents, which may promise a major qualitative leap in bilateral relations between the two countries.
Political, diplomatic relations
Visit of President Moon Jae-in to Egypt
Egypt hosted South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Wednesday. It is the first visit by a South Korean president in 16 years and comes in light of the partnership signed between Cairo and Seoul in 2016.
During his visit, the South Korean president met with President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi in Cairo, where they held bilateral talks and witnessed the signing of numerous cooperation agreements.
In a press conference, Sisi said he exchanged views with President Moon Jae-in on various regional and international issues of common concern.
“I would like to express our appreciation for the evident impetus of bilateral cooperation in various fields between the two countries, as well as our pride in the depth of Egyptian-Korean relations, which have witnessed remarkable development over the past few years,” he said. he added. Sisi said.
President Abdel Fattah El Sisi also said that they affirmed the importance of continuing the political consultation mechanism between the two countries through the Joint Ministerial Committee for Political, Economic and Technical Cooperation, headed by the two Ministers of Foreign Affairs. foreign.
*For more on the areas of discussion between the two presidents today, click here.
Receive the Speaker of Parliament
In October, Sisi received South Korean National Assembly Speaker Park Byeong-seug.
The meeting discussed ways to counter the ramifications of the coronavirus pandemic as well as Egypt’s full support for all mechanisms to ensure stability on the Korean Peninsula.
Park applauded Egypt’s function as a cornerstone of stability and peace in the Middle East and North Africa, as well as its efforts to achieve political settlements in the region and its steps to achieve a truce between Israel and the Palestinians and the reconstruction of Gaza.
Meeting with the Minister of Defense
At the end of August, South Korean Defense Minister Suh Wook met with Sisi.
During the meeting, Sisi praised the modern and integrated infrastructure in Egypt, which he said provides a solid foundation for strengthening development cooperation with international partners.
The president expressed Egypt’s keenness to promote relations with South Korea, especially in the military and defense fields, presidential spokesman Bassam Rady said.
Egypt also looks forward to activating the comprehensive cooperative partnership with South Korea in a way that helps to benefit from the enormous capabilities of both countries, Sisi added.
Suh, for his part, hailed the major national projects set up in Egypt under the leadership of President Sisi.
He also appreciated the role played by Egypt in containing tensions between the Palestinian and Israeli sides.
According to the spokesperson, the meeting also reviewed the military and security cooperation between the two countries, especially in the industrial and technological fields.
2016 visit to Seoul
Sisi made an official visit to Seoul in 2016 as part of an Asian tour that also included Japan and Kazakhstan, where he met South Korean President Park Geun-hye.
Sisi and President Park Geun-hye discussed the increase in Korean investment in Egypt as well as the latest developments in counterterrorism efforts in the Middle East.
During his visit, Sisi also held talks with South Korean National Assembly Speaker Chung Ui-hwa and a number of parliamentarians.
Economic relations
In the first ten months of 2021, trade between Egypt and South Korea increased by 46.9%, reaching more than $1.8 billion, compared to around $1.3 billion during the same period in 2020, Egyptian Trade Minister Nevin Gamea said last year.
His remarks came during his meeting with Yeo Han-koo, South Korea’s trade minister.
In 2020, trade between Egypt and South Korea totaled around $2 billion, according to the Egyptian Ministry of Commerce, up from $1.59 billion in 2019.
During his current visit, South Korean President Moon Jae-in met with Sisi in Cairo, where they held bilateral talks and witnessed the signing of numerous cooperation agreements.
The agreements provide for cooperation between the two countries within the framework of a trade and economic partnership as well as cooperation for the implementation of national projects in Egypt.
*To learn more about the MoUs signed today, click here.
During his meeting with his South Korean counterpart Moon Jae-in, Sissi discussed potential partnership opportunities between Egyptian companies operating in Africa and Korean companies, in addition to promoting investment in Africa, especially in the field of infrastructure. .
President Sissi, this cooperation would come in light of the continental free trade area to significantly increase “the flow of investment and trade between African countries and the international community”.
President Moon Jae-in said his country is sharing experience and exchanging policies with Egypt to expand cooperative partnership and promote sustainable development, stressing the importance of making progress towards concluding trade agreements and broaden the horizons of cooperation in environmentally friendly transport and marine and space. development.
*To learn more about the trade areas discussed by the two presidents today, click here.
Meeting with the Speaker of Parliament
Sisi and South Korean National Assembly Speaker Park Byeong-seug also discussed business and technology industries in Egypt.
Sisi said Egypt seeks to harness the immense expertise of technology industries in South Korea and localize the electric car industry and related industries.
Park said South Korea is keen to expand its investments in Egypt, given its strategic location that provides access to the European market, Africa and the Middle East.
The country is also willing to transfer development experience to Egypt, especially since Egypt has been experiencing large-scale development in recent years, Park added.
Sisi’s visit to Seoul
During Sisi’s visit to Seoul in 2016, he and former President Geun-hye attended the signing ceremony of nine memorandums of understanding between the two countries in several areas, including education, transportation and social media. ‘industry.
Sissi also met during his visit with Korean businessmen to explain to them the investment opportunities in Egypt.
Military relations, industrialization
Meeting with Minister DAPA
In December, Egypt’s Minister of State for Defense Production, Mohamed Ahmed Morsi, met with South Korea’s Minister for the Administration of the Defense Acquisition Program (DAPA) Kang Eun-ho and the delegation that accompanies him to discuss ways and means to strengthen cooperation between the two countries in the field of industrialization.
For his part, Morsi affirmed the deep ties between the two countries, hailing the effective participation of the South Korean side in “EDEX 2021” which was held from November 29 to December 2.
The meeting discussed the latest developments in joint cooperation and cooperation with South Korean companies working in manufacturing, Morsi said.
Meanwhile, Kang praised the tangible developments seen in Egyptian-South Korean relations, especially after President Sisi’s visit to South Korea in 2016, which strengthened ties between the two countries.
Defense ministers meeting
In September, Egyptian Defense Minister Mohamed Zaki met his South Korean counterpart, Wook, in Cairo, where he affirmed Egypt’s willingness to coordinate efforts and broaden the horizons of military cooperation. together with South Korea.
During the meeting, Zaki expressed Egypt’s appreciation for the strong relations with South Korea.
Wook expressed his aspiration that the future stage will see further cooperation in a way that meets the common interests of both sides.
The South Korean Minister of National Defense affirmed his deep appreciation for the efforts of the Egyptian Armed Forces in all fields.
Wook stressed South Korea’s support for the horizons of military cooperation with Egypt in the coming period.
The meeting discussed the latest developments at regional and international levels, the statement said.
During the meeting, issues of common interest were also discussed, including areas of military cooperation as well as the transfer and exchange of expertise between Egypt and South Korea, the statement added.
Egyptian Armed Forces Chief of Staff Mohamed Farid and a number of army commanders from both countries attended the meeting.
