Egypt's Al-Mashat, EU Commissioner Sikela review economic partnership, NWFE programme
The two officials reviewed the strategic partnership between Egypt and the European Union, focusing on sustainable development priorities, green transition efforts, cooperation within the 'Team Europe' initiative, and support for Egypt's Country Platform for the 'NWFE' programme. Discussions also covered the implementation of the second phase of the Macroeconomic Support Mechanism, budget support, and investment guarantees for the private sector.
During the meeting, Al-Mashat expressed the Egyptian government's appreciation for the economic partnership with the European Union and the elevation of relations to a strategic partnership.
The minister acknowledged the ongoing efforts to implement the Macroeconomic Support Mechanism and budget deficit support worth 4bn euros. She described this as 'vital support for the state's efforts in implementing the ongoing structural reform program in coordination.' Al-Mashat emphasised that technical consultations with the European side are continuous in preparation for an upcoming evaluation mission, aiming to ensure agreement on reform priorities and enhance the developmental impact of the financing.
The two sides also discussed investment guarantee mechanisms for the private sector and efforts to activate these to attract more European investments to the local market.
Both parties underscored the progress made in implementing the 'NWFE' programme, which aims to stimulate investment in energy, water, and food projects. This falls within the framework of Egypt's endeavours for a transition towards a green economy, particularly noting the contributions of the European Union and European countries in providing development financing and technical support for the programme's projects. The European Commissioner affirmed the importance of this programme as a model for innovative development cooperation and praised Egypt's leading role in driving the climate action and sustainable development agenda in Africa.
In the context of enhancing transparency and information exchange, Al-Mashat presented the Commissioner with a copy of the Ministry's annual report. The report monitors achievements and progress in the implementation of development projects funded by international partners and highlights coordination efforts between various government agencies and development partners.
Both parties reaffirmed their joint commitment to strengthening the partnership between Egypt and the European Union in accordance with the priorities of the 2030 Agenda and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. This includes a particular focus on the green transition, women's economic empowerment, and enhancing economic and social resilience in light of global changes.
The Egyptian-European Summit was noted as a turning point in the relationship, witnessing the announcement of the elevation of relations to a strategic partnership. Under this announcement, a financial package worth 7.4bn euros was agreed upon to enhance European investments in Egypt, support the Egyptian economy, and expand the scope of cooperation. This cooperation focuses on national priorities such as enhancing economic stability to ensure an attractive investment environment, encouraging investment and trade to strengthen bilateral economic relations, developing migration and mobility frameworks for organised and mutually beneficial exchange of human resources, and expanding efforts to develop human capital.
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Egypt Independent
2 hours ago
- Egypt Independent
In exclusive interview, Pakistan's ambassador to Cairo talks relations with Egypt, Cairo's role in halting the Gaza war, and situation with India
In an exclusive interview, Pakistan's ambassador to Cairo, Amir Shouket, stated that his nation appreciates the role Egypt has played in halting the war on the Gaza Strip. He noted that Egypt was among the first countries to recognize Pakistan, and the two countries exchanged resident ambassadors in 1948. Pakistan views Egypt as a country of great importance in the Middle East and the Islamic world. He also warned that the conflict in Kashmir will remain as a source of tension between India and Pakistan. Interview How do you view relations between Egypt and Pakistan, politically and economically? Relations between Pakistan and Egypt are feature common bonds of faith, cultural affinities and similar views towards regional and international issues. Egypt was among the first countries to recognize Pakistan and the two countries exchanged resident Ambassadors in 1948. Pakistan views Egypt as a significantly important country in the Middle East as well as in the Islamic world; Pakistan and Egypt are also both members of OIC, and D-8. In relatively recent history, Pakistan's national poet Allama Mohammad Iqbal visited Egypt (Alexandria and Cairo) in 1931. During his visit, he met the Egyptian intelligentsia, religious and political leaders as well as student leaders. Later in 1946, the founder of Pakistan Muhammad Ali Jinnah and the First Prime Minister of Pakistan visited Egypt and met with Egyptian political leaders and the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar. In subsequent years, Presidents from Egypt and Pakistan, Prime Ministers from Pakistan and Ministers from both countries paid several visits. It is encouraging that the leadership of our two countries met during the recent years and reaffirmed their mutual desire to transform the existing bilateral relationship into a strong partnership to benefit of peoples of our two brotherly countries. We are eagerly waiting for the visit of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to Pakistan. Egypt is a gateway to Africa. Pakistan is gateway to Central Asia. There is immense scope, potential and mutual desire of the leadership of these two countries to capitalize this potential and geo-strategic location to significantly enhance the existing volume of bilateral trade for the benefit of the peoples of the two countries. What is the volume of trade between the two countries, and what are the ways to increase it? Bilateral trade, which usually hovered around US$200-300 million, jumped to around $605 million in 2022 following a spike in imports of mineral fuels from Egypt, before it declined due to global economic conditions. There are a number of areas in which both countries can enhance their cooperation, such as science and technology, information technology, tourism and housing. In September 2023, the Pakistan-Egypt Business Opportunities Conference was organized by the Embassy in collaboration with Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce. Almost 150 delegates from Pakistan participated in the Conference. Pakistan also organized the Fourth Pakistan-Africa Trade Development Conference and Single Country Exhibition in Egypt at Cairo in January 2024. The existing bilateral consultation system between Pakistan and Egypt consists of a Joint Ministerial Committee that covers a range of diverse avenues of cooperation including bilateral trade. Recently, frequent interactions between DPM/Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar & Foreign Minister of Egypt Badr Abdelatty have further strengthened the mutual desire to consolidate the existing mechanism of cooperation particularly enhancement in bilateral trade between Pakistan and Egypt. There is immense potential for investments in textile sector, sports goods, real estate, tourism and hospitality sector, mining sector waiting to be capitalized by both the countries. Since the past two years, the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) has offered one window swift facilitation for foreign investors in Pakistan. Additionally, the simplification of VISA regime for 126 countries, including Egypt, offers Pakistan as an ideal avenue for investment. Apart from these incentives there is huge potential for investment in agriculture, clean energy sectors of Pakistan. Information Technology and software development sectors have witnessed phenomenal increase in return on investments for prospective investors. With approximately 700,000 IT workforce members and 60 percent of the population being young, Pakistan is poised to produce more engineers and developers in the IT sector. In your opinion, what is Pakistan's view of Egypt's role in stopping the war on Gaza, and is the idea of normalization with Israel impossible? Regarding Gaza, Egypt and Pakistan have pushed for ceasefire right from the beginning. Both countries share an identical stance on the Gaza and Palestine issue at numerous regional and multilateral forums. Pakistan is closely supporting provision of humanitarian assistance for the residents of Gaza in active collaboration and cooperation with Egypt. On a solution for the Gaza catastrophe, Pakistan is fully aligned with Egypt. We highly value Egypt's pivotal role in containing Israel's aggression and continuously engaging all the stake-holders to find a permanent and lasting solution to the conflict. Is the situation with India currently calm, and what is the solution to end the tension? Pakistan adheres to the ceasefire with India agreed after the intervention of President Trump. We welcome President Trump's statements regarding the threat posed by unprovoked recent Indian aggression against Pakistan, and his intent to mediate on Kashmir dispute. Pakistan has historically maintained its legitimate and decades old principled stance that Kashmir dispute should be resolved by fully implementing the relevant UNSC resolutions and in accordance with the wishes and aspirations of people of Kashmir. Kashmir issue is an unfinished agenda of the partition of the sub-continent and UNSC. This dispute will remain one of the central issues behind tension between Pakistan and India. The other issue is the Indus Water Treaty which can trigger escalation between two nuclear states at any time. How did Pakistan defeat India in its last war? Pakistan believes in peaceful neighborhood, regional peace and development, and prosperity for the residents of more than a billion people in South Asia. We respect sovereignty, territorial integrity and unity of all other states, and do not harbor nefarious designs against any regional state. However, we maintain minimum credible deterrence for preserving strategic balance in South Asia. The unprovoked Indian aggression, despite Pakistan's consistent offer to investigate the Pahalgam terror attack, enlisting international state(s) supported by credible evidence was outright rejected by India. Still, Pakistan responded in a measured, mature and firm manner without targeting civilian installations. Our Air warriors did not leave Indian birds, who launched missiles targeting innocent civilians, to see light of the next day. Through indigenous technology harmoniously employed throughout the conflict, Pakistan proved its superiority in the face of naked Indian aggression. Above all, the resolve of the entire nation reinvigorated the spirit of Pakistan Armed Forces towards a decisive victory. How do you view the Iran-Israel war? Pakistan is non-permanent member of United Nations Security Council. Our permanent representative in the UN requested urgent meeting at UNSC at the outset of Iran-Israel war. We have clearly and unequivocally termed the Israeli attack on nuclear facilities in Iran as illegitimate. These facilities are under the safeguards of UN. Therefore, Israel's aggression is highly condemnable and dangerous for regional stability. Pakistan is in favor of dialogue and diplomacy. We've seen Pakistan announce its support for Iran. What form will this support take, and will it arm Tehran? Pakistan supports Iran diplomatically, politically and as a brotherly neighboring country. Our DPM/Foreign Minister had categorically rejected fake news and misinformation manufactured regarding Pakistan's arms support to Iran. Why did Pakistan close its border with Iran amid the escalation with Israel? We did not close our borders with Iran. However, we established the monitoring mechanism on our border crossings with Iran in view of presence of Pakistan's Zaireen and students who were stranded in Iran after the Israeli aggression. What message you would like to give on the Independence Day of Pakistan this year? This year, Independence Day is being observed with a unique, illustrious stature as witnessed by the entire global community where Pakistan beams brilliantly after inflicting a well resonated, firm response to the aggression during the glorious Operation 'Bunyan Al-Marsoos'. We bow our heads in respect and express infinite gratitude to Almighty Allah for enabling us to defend our motherland, and defying hardly the ill-fated attempt of establishing a new normal in South Asia, in a manner never witnessed in our history. I express my profound admiration for small but dynamic Pakistan community in Egypt for their good work towards consolidating existing bond of friendship between the two brotherly countries. While we commemorate this significantly special Independence Day, we should not forget our brothers and sisters in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) and Palestine. They are subjected to oppression and worst kind of human rights abuses. Still, they are upholding the spirit of freedom alive. Peace in South Asia and the Middle East will remain elusive till the resolution of these two decades old promised issues by the United Nations relevant resolutions, and in accordance with the wishes and aspirations of Kashmiris and Palestinians. We remain steadfast in raising our voice for Palestinians and for the Kashmiris' right to self-determination.
Egypt Independent
7 hours ago
- Egypt Independent
Putin's wins leave Trump with hard choices
Russian President Vladimir Putin got everything he could have hoped for in Alaska. President Donald Trump got very little — judging by his own pre-summit metrics. The question now is whether Trump secured any moderate gains or planted seeds for Ukraine's future security if there's an eventual peace deal with Russia that were not immediately obvious after Friday's summit. And he's left with some searing strategic questions. Despite Trump's claim to have made 'a lot of progress' and that the summit was a '10 out of 10,' all signs point to a huge win for the Russian autocrat. Trump's lavish stage production of Putin's arrival Friday, with near-simultaneous exits from presidential jets and red-carpet strolls, provided some image rehabilitation for a leader who is a pariah in the rest of the West and who is accused of war crimes in Ukraine. And by the end of their meeting, Trump had offered a massive concession to his visitor by adopting the Russian position that peace moves should concentrate on a final peace deal — which will likely take months or years to negotiate — rather than a ceasefire to halt the Russian offensive now. As CNN's Nick Paton Walsh pointed out, that just gives Putin more time to grind down Ukraine. Most importantly, Trump has, at least for now, backed away from threats to impose tough new sanctions on Russia and expand secondary sanctions on the nations that buy its oil and therefore bankroll its war. He'd threatened such measures by a deadline that expired last week out of frustration with Putin's intransigence and a growing belief the Russian leader was 'tapping' him along. This leverage may have brought Putin to Alaska. But Trump seems to have relaxed it for little in return. 'Because of what happened today, I think I don't have to think about that now,' Trump said in an interview with Fox News after the summit. Trump briefed European leaders after the summit, telling them that Putin called on Ukraine to yield the roughly a third or so of the Donbas, encompassing the eastern regions of Luhansk and Donetsk, that Russia does not currently control. In return, he'd offer to freeze the front lines in the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions, CNN's Kevin Liptak reported, citing European officials. This would force Ukraine into an agonizing dilemma. Some analysts fear such a deal would allow Moscow's forces a platform to launch a future attack. European leaders also said Trump voiced openness to providing US security guarantees for Ukraine once the war ends. This could be significant because the president has yet to commit to US support for any Western-led peace mission in the country. But he didn't specify what kind of backing he's willing to provide. CNN's Kit Maher reported Saturday that multiple European leaders had been invited to a meeting between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House on Monday. It was unclear which of them will attend, but it raises the possibility of a new widening of Trump's peacemaking effort to include US allies. But the Kyiv government will also be on alert for any attempt to pressure it to make concessions to plans that Trump agreed with Putin. Dueling shows of force F-35 jets and a B-2 bomber accompany the plane carrying the Russian President Vladimir Putin as he arrives at Elmendorf-Richardson Joint Base ahead of Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump meeting in Alaska, United States on August 15, 2025. Fatih Aktas/Anadolu/Getty Images Friday's meeting began with a B-2 stealth bomber and F-22 fighters roaring overhead in a dramatic moment of US superpower signaling. But Putin one-upped that symbolism by greeting Trump with the words 'Good afternoon, dear neighbor,' as he leveraged the summit's location in Alaska to imply that the two countries had important and immediate mutual interests that should not be disrupted by a distant war in Europe. For Ukrainians and their European allies — who were shut out of the meeting and whom Trump briefed afterward — there was at least a moment of relief that Trump didn't sell Kyiv out. The fact that a US-Russia land swap plan didn't emerge from Alaska is a win for Europe's emergency pre-summit diplomacy. Still, Trump hinted that he will pile pressure on Ukraine's leader when they meet at the White House on Monday. It's 'now up to President Zelensky to get it done,' Trump told Fox News in the friendly post-summit interview, after refusing to answer questions with Putin in what had been billed as a joint press conference. Trump's options moving forward Before the summit, Trump obliterated careful efforts by his staff to lower expectations when he told Fox News, 'I won't be happy if I walk away without some form of a ceasefire.' President Donald Trump after speaking with reporters aboard Air Force One while en route to Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, on Friday, August 15, 2025. Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP The failure to get there is important. Russia is happy to commit to a detailed peace process with interminable negotiations that would allow it to continue fighting — including in its increasingly successful summer offensive — while it talks. But Ukrainians are desperate for relief from years of Russian drone and missile attacks on civilians as a generation bleeds out on World War I-style battlefields. Peace talks without a ceasefire will leave it open to Russian or US pressure. Trump's zeal to work for peace in Ukraine is commendable, even if his repeated public requests for a Nobel Peace Prize raise questions about his ultimate motives. And one upside of the summit is that the US and Russia — the countries with the biggest nuclear arsenals — are talking again. But the underlying premise of Trump's peacemaking is that the force of his personality and his supposedly unique status as the world's greatest dealmaker can end wars. That myth is looking very ragged after his long flight home from Alaska. And by falling short of his own expectations in the Alaska summit, Trump left himself with some tough calculations about what to do next. ► Does he revert to his previous attempts to pressure Ukraine in search of an imposed peace that would validate Putin's illegal invasion and legitimize the idea that states can rewrite international borders, thereby reversing a foundation of the post-World War II-era? ► Or as the dust settles, and he seeks to repair damage to his prestige, does he revert to US pressure and sanctions to try to reset Russian calculations? He at least left open the possibility of sticks rather than carrots in his Fox News interview, saying: 'I may have to think about it in two weeks or three weeks or something, but we don't have to think about that right now.' ► Alternatively, Trump could commit to the Russian vision of talks on a final peace agreement. History shows that this would be neither quick nor honored by the Russians over the long term. He's hoping for a three-way summit between Putin, Zelensky and himself. That would satisfy his craving for spectacle and big made-for-TV events. But after Friday's evidence that Russia doesn't want to end the war, it's hard to see how it would create breakthroughs. ► Another possibility is that Trump simply gets discouraged or bored with the details and drudgery of a long-term peace process that lacks big, quick wins he can celebrate with his supporters. US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin hold a press conference following their meeting at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, on August 15, 2025. Jeenah Moon/Reuters 'A large part of (Trump) is all about style. There's not a lot of real enjoyment of getting into the substance of things,' Jim Townsend, a former deputy assistant secretary of defense for European and NATO policy who is now affiliated with the Center for New American Security, said before the summit. 'He likes the meringue on top. And I think that's how you can be manipulated.' Trump's style-before-substance strategy clearly backfired in Alaska. Putin appeared far more prepared as Trump winged it. In retrospect, it's hard to see what the Russian president offered to US envoy Steve Witkoff in the Kremlin that convinced the administration that the Alaska talks were a good idea. And Russia is clearly playing on Trump's desire for photo-op moments in the expectation that it can keep him engaged while offering few other concessions. Trump's Nobel campaign suffered a setback Trump may remain the best hope for peace in Ukraine. He can speak directly to Putin, unlike Ukraine or its European allies. Ultimately, US power will be needed to guarantee Ukrainian security, since Europeans lack the capacity to do it alone. And the US retains the capability to hurt Russia and Putin with direct and secondary sanctions. But Trump has to want to do it. And for now he seems back under Putin's spell. The Russian leader's transparent manipulation of the US president and Trump's credulity will worry Ukraine. On Fox News, Trump said Putin praised his second term, saying the US was 'as hot as a pistol' and he had previously thought the US was 'dead.' Putin also publicly reinforced Trump's talking point that the invasion three years ago would 'never have happened' if he had been president. 'I'm quite sure that it would indeed be so. I can confirm that,' said Putin. Rescue workers extinguish a fire on a civilian enterprise in the Novobavarskyi district struck by a Russian drone on June 4, 2025, in Kharkiv, Ukraine. Viacheslav Mavrychev/Suspilne Ukraine/GlobalTrump told Fox News' Sean Hannity that he was 'so happy' to hear validation from Putin and that the Russian leader had reinforced another one of his false claims, telling him that 'you can't have a great democracy with mail-in voting.' That a US president would take such testimony at face value from a totalitarian strongman is mind-boggling — even more so in the light of US intelligence agency assessments that the Russians interfered in the 2016 election to help Trump win. Ultimately, events in Alaska drove a hole through a White House claim in a recent statement that Trump is 'the President of Peace.' Trump has touted interventions that cooled hostilities in standoffs between India and Pakistan; Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo; Thailand and Cambodia; and Armenia and Azerbaijan to argue he's forging peace around the globe at an extraordinary clip. 'I seem to have an ability to end them,' Trump said on Fox News of these conflicts. He does deserve credit for effectively using US influence in these efforts, including with the unique cudgel of US trade benefits. He has saved lives, even if the deals are often less comprehensive than meets the eye. But his failure so far to end the Ukraine war that he pledged would be so easy to fix — along with US complicity in the humanitarian disaster in Gaza — means a legacy as a peacemaker and the Nobel Prize that he craves remain out of reach. Once, he predicted he could end the Ukraine war in 24 hours. Despite his bluster, a comment on Fox News shows that after Alaska, he has a better understanding of how hard it will be. 'I thought this would be the easiest of them all and it was the most difficult.' This story has been updated with additional developments.
See - Sada Elbalad
21 hours ago
- See - Sada Elbalad
20 Civilians Killed in Niger Gang Massacre
Israa Farhan At least 20 civilians were killed in a massacre carried out by armed gangs in western Niger, according to local sources on Saturday. The attack took place on Thursday near the gold mining area of Koumbango in Tillabéri region, where terrorist groups are highly active. The victims, travelling on a truck from the town of Mehanna, were ambushed by the assailants. Witnesses reported that the attackers forced all passengers out of the vehicle before separating 19 men, executing them with gunfire, and then killing the driver. The truck was later set on fire. Two women survived the assault, while two other passengers managed to escape. Local outlet Niger Scoop confirmed the death toll, reporting that about 20 people lost their lives in the massacre. The Tillabéri region lies within the border triangle between Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali, an area long plagued by violence from armed groups linked to al-Qaeda and ISIS. Niger continues to face escalating insecurity as extremist groups target civilians in rural areas. read more Gold prices rise, 21 Karat at EGP 3685 NATO's Role in Israeli-Palestinian Conflict US Expresses 'Strong Opposition' to New Turkish Military Operation in Syria Shoukry Meets Director-General of FAO Lavrov: confrontation bet. nuclear powers must be avoided News Iran Summons French Ambassador over Foreign Minister Remarks News Aboul Gheit Condemns Israeli Escalation in West Bank News Greek PM: Athens Plays Key Role in Improving Energy Security in Region News One Person Injured in Explosion at Ukrainian Embassy in Madrid Videos & Features Story behind Trending Jessica Radcliffe Death Video News Israeli-Linked Hadassah Clinic in Moscow Treats Wounded Iranian IRGC Fighters Arts & Culture "Jurassic World Rebirth" Gets Streaming Date News China Launches Largest Ever Aircraft Carrier News Ayat Khaddoura's Final Video Captures Bombardment of Beit Lahia Business Egyptian Pound Undervalued by 30%, Says Goldman Sachs Videos & Features Tragedy Overshadows MC Alger Championship Celebration: One Fan Dead, 11 Injured After Stadium Fall Arts & Culture South Korean Actress Kang Seo-ha Dies at 31 after Cancer Battle Lifestyle Get to Know 2025 Eid Al Adha Prayer Times in Egypt News The Jessica Radcliffe Orca Attack? 100% Fake and AI-Generated
