Assistant Foreign Minister for European Affairs Hatem Seif El-Nasr held political consultations Monday with Croatian Assistant Foreign Minister for non-European Affairs Dubravka Markovic on regional issues and cooperation.
The situation in Libya, the Syrian crisis, the Palestinian issue, and efforts to combat terrorism were also included in the discussion, according to a statement issued Tuesday by the Foreign Ministry.
The talks dealt with different aspects of bilateral Egyptian-Croatian relations, and prospects for their promotion at various levels.
The statement added that the Croatian side stressed its support for Egypt and for the country’s efforts in counter-terrorism and counter-extremism in all forms.
Seif El-Nasr expressed satisfaction with the results of the consultations, pointing to the importance of relations between the two countries. Both countries also desire the continued development and strengthening of cooperation with the European Union (EU) and other international organisations.
The Croatian side expressed interest in the latest developments in the implementation of steps for completing the road map, Seif El-Nasr added. These include the ongoing preparations for holding the parliamentary elections, marking the completion of all the political benefits of the road map.
Seif El-Nasr presented the results of the Economic Summit that recently took place in Sharm El-Sheikh, and which Markovic praised. She confirmed there will be positive repercussions on the EU level, saying that promotion of trade and investment is expected between the two.
Middle Eastern and East European countries are currently working to enhance their relations with Egypt, said Hanaa Obeid, expert at Al-Ahram Center for Strategic Studies and Editor-in-Chief of Al-Demoqrata magazine. “It is not clear whether the framework [of the escalation] is economic or political.”
The EU is a major trade partner with Egypt, Obeid added.
“Egypt gets the largest aid from the EU outside Europe,” she said. Yet, there is always an ebb and flow, she noted.
