Belarus is expecting a visit by the president of Egypt, with a corresponding invitation having been sent and preliminarily confirmed by the Egyptian side. This was stated by Minister of Antimonopoly Regulation and Trade Artur Karpovich following the eighth meeting of the Belarusian-Egyptian Joint Trade Commission in Minsk, writes BelTA.
According to him, Belarus views Egypt as a gateway to the African continent and a platform for locating Belarusian industry.
“We expect the Egyptian side to make every effort to organize a visit here by the president of Egypt. We are open. The relevant invitation was sent and preliminarily confirmed. Therefore, we hope this will become another impetus for the development of our bilateral relations,” he said.
The previous meeting of the Belarusian-Egyptian Joint Trade Commission took place in 2023. Bilateral trade turnover remains relatively small. Among the priority areas of cooperation, Karpovich named supplies of MAZ and MTZ machinery.
The sides are moving toward establishing joint production facilities in Egypt and are also considering the possibility of organizing an industrial goods hub there. A trilateral agreement is planned on supplies of Belarusian machinery to Egypt and Egyptian fruit to Belarus. Karpovich also expressed readiness to expand supplies of consumer goods and food products.
He acknowledged difficulties with banking payments because of sanctions but said the sides are seeking ways to bypass the barriers.
An Egyptian delegation led by Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade Mohamed Farid Saleh has been in Belarus from May 4 to May 8. The Belarusian-Egyptian business forum is scheduled for May 7.
