During a press conference on Tuesday 31 October, European Commissioner for Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn and Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry highlighted the importance of strengthening relations between the EU and Egypt. The previous day, the EU and Egypt had signed a financial and technical support framework (see EUROPE 11894).
"There is a mutual interest in fostering cooperation", Shoukry told press in Cairo, stating that the EU and its member states had "very strong" links with his country. "There are many areas where cooperation is needed", Hahn said, adding that Egypt is a "very important neighbour, if not the most important" for the EU.
The EU and Egypt cooperate in a number of areas, particularly economic. Hahn said that the EU, its member states and the European financial institutions are thus currently supporting hundreds of projects in Egypt, for over €11 billion. Cooperation is furthermore being developed on migration and counter-terrorism. "The first high-level dialogue will take place by the end of November", Hahn announced, also hailing the fact that "there have not been any illegal departures from Egypt this year".
Hahn welcomed Egypt's role in the region – be it on Libya or its mediation in the intra-Palestinian rapprochement.
But Hahn and Shoukry recognised there are differences of opinion between the EU and Egypt. "There are a few areas where there are different visions, but this is also quite normal in relations between two blocs", Hahn said, stating that it was important to discuss these differences. He said that the EU highlighted civil society. For Shoukry, relations must be based on "mutual respect", and he later underlined the fact that it was important to discuss human rights and socio-economic development "far from tensions and accusations". During the Association Council in July, the two parties had passed the buck on human rights abuses (see EUROPE 11836). (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)