Staff Report TASHKENT - September 4, 2018 – President Abdel Fattah El Sisi yesterday started an official two-day visit to Uzbekistan, the last stop on his three-nation Asian tour that took him to China and Bahrain. President Sisi's visit is the first by an Egyptian Head of State since a visit by the late President Gamal Abdel Nasser in the 1950s. The visit follows two visits by former Uzbek President Islam Karimov to Cairo in 1992 and 2007 during which several co-operation agreements in the economic, scientific and investment domains were signed. Diplomatic relations between Uzbekistan and Egypt were established on January 23, 1992. The contractual and legal framework of the two countries' relations includes 51 interstate, intergovernmental and interdepartmental documents. Upon his arrival in Tashkent and after the official welcoming ceremony, President Sisi and Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev held summit talks that focused on the development of Egyptian-Uzbek co-operation in all domains. Presidents Sisi and Mirziyoyev also exchanged views on international and regional issues of bilateral concern, Presidency Spokesman Ambassador Bassam Radi said. The two leaders will attend the signing of a raft of inter-governmental and inter-departmental agreements that are aimed at strengthening and expanding co-operation between Egypt and Uzbekistan in the fields of politics, trade, economy, tourism, science, education, culture and sports. Today, the Uzbek-Egyptian Business Forum and Co-operation Exchange in B2B Format will be held in Tashkent, and the participants are expected to discuss the possibility of creating a joint horticultural and logistical hub, Uzbek media outlets reported on Tuesday. "Representatives of the two countries' business owners will take part in today's event. The plan is to sign mutually beneficial investment and trade agreements in the fields of tourism, pharmaceutics and electrical engineering. In addition, within the framework of the business forum, the issue of creating a horticultural and logistical hub in Uzbekistan will be discussed," the Uzbek Ministry of Foreign Trade said in a statement. Before flying out of Beijing, President Sisi delivered a speech at the Forum of China-Africa Co-operation (FOCAC), which President Xi Jinping opened on Monday. In his speech, President Sisi said that Egypt had always been exerting strenuous efforts for promoting its co-operation with developing countries, protecting their interests and representing their views at international gatherings. "These efforts, which were demonstrated during Egypt's tenure of the presidency of the developing nations' G77, have proved that Egypt has always had the will and determination to promote co-operation among the developing countries," said President Sisi, as he wrapped up a four-day state visit to China. "For many years to come, Egypt will keep on exerting efforts to enhance South-South co-operation in order to serve and protect the interests of the people of African and developing countries," President Sisi pledged. "These efforts will guarantee that each person will get his/her fair share of development and an honourable and dignified life," he said. President Sisi added that the Chinese-African partnership was and still is a successful example of co-operation and coordination of the stances of developing nations regarding vital issues and files at international meetings. "These files deal with the ongoing negotiations pertaining to reforming the financial systems of UN-supported development programmes and projects in developing nations," President Sisi said. He hailed the strong Chinese backing of a unified African call for reforming the UN Security Council. He said that Egypt, which would hold the rotating presidency of the African Union (AU) next year, would work on achieving sustainable development in Africa, creating more job opportunities for African youth, developing the Continent's infrastructure, promoting inter-African trade, upgrading African economies and their systems, and improving Africa's industrial mechanisms. "These are the priority items on Egypt's agenda during its tenure of the AU presidency in 2019," President Sisi told the delegates attending the FOCAC. He confirmed that it had become crystal clear that development and modernisation were the strongest weapons for overcoming the present socio-economic and political challenges such as terrorism, extremism, organised crime, poverty, disease, and unfair economic and commercial competition. President Sisi also stressed the need to continue the work of strengthening and boosting the African-Chinese partnership, on the basis of win-win co-operation, over the next three years. "Egypt will intensify its contacts with the FOCAC leadership to activate the 2019-2022 plan of action that increases co-operation between the AU member states and China," President Sisi said in his speech. "As one of the earliest countries to support the Belt and Road Initiative, Egypt firmly believes that the initiative will create enormous opportunities for African-Chinese co-operation as well as international and regional co-operation," he said.
