21 December 2006… Within the context of preparing to host the First Euro-Mediterranean Conference of Ministers of Higher Education, Scientific Research and Technology, during the first half of 2007, and in accordance to what had been agreed upon during the last meeting of the Foreign Ministers of Barcelona Process member states, held in Finland, Assistant Foreign Minister for European Affairs, Ambassador Fatma Al Zaraa Etman, held a coordinating meeting, at the Foreign Ministry, with representatives of the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, on 20 December, to discuss the conference’s preliminary preparations and the broad lines of its objectives. In this regard, it was agreed that the conference should lead to tangible results associated with constructive steps to ensure its success, taking into consideration that the higher education and scientific research sectors are highly prioritized in Egypt; especially that investment in human resources is one of the main pillars of development and modernization.