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Press release
5th Egypt-Philippines Bilateral Consultations
Cairo, Egypt
4 July 2007
4 July 2007….
The fifth round of political consultations between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Arab Republic of Egypt and the Department of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of the Philippines were held in Cairo on 04 July 2007. The Egyptian delegation was headed by H.E. Ambassador Shawky Ismail, Deputy Assistant Foreign Minister for Asian Affairs while the Philippine delegation was headed by H.E. Ambassador Erlinda F.Basilio, Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs for Policy.
The consultations were held in a friendly and open atmosphere where both sides reviewed the status of bilateral relations and discussed means and ways to further enhance and deepen cooperation between the two countries. They also briefed each other on recent developments on the domestic, regional and international fronts.
The Egyptian side briefed its Philippine counterpart on the constitutional amendments and the recently held Shoura elections. Egypt's economic performance which has exhibited a growth rate of 7.2% in 2006 and an increase of foreign direct investment of close to USD 10 billion, due to investment facilities now given in Egypt.
The Philippine side briefed the Egyptian hosts on the recently held legislative and local elections and the progress made in the peace process in the southern Philippines. On the economic front, the Philippines reported that the country is experiencing an economic surge manifested by the significant investments pouring into the Philippines, strong peso and stock market which has reaches all-time highs.
On enhancing bilateral relation, both sides expressed eagerness and political will to promote cooperation. To generate momentum, both sides expressed keenness for their respective Foreign Ministers to visit each other's country, or meet at the sidelines of the UN General Assembly or other international fora. Likewise, both sides conveyed their appreciation for the mutual support for each other's candidatures in various international fora.
Egypt and the Philippines agreed that while they enjoy excellent political cooperation, there is a need to strengthen economic cooperation. There was a mutual understanding that the establishment of a Joint Trade Commission would promote bilateral economic cooperation. The Egyptian side submitted a draft agreement on economic and technical cooperation to be considered by the Philippine side.
Also both sides explored other fields of cooperation including medical, agricultural cooperation, Egypt's possible export of generic medicines to the Philippines; training of Egyptian nurses by Philippine experts and an exchange of agricultural experts and scholars.
On consular relations, both countries agreed to extend assistance to each other's nationals.
Egypt and the Philippines expressed their commitment to finalize pending agreements that would further promote cooperation in tourism, health, and investment, maritime, cultural, and economic and technical cooperation. Additionally the Philippines invited the federation of the Egyptian Chambers of Commerce to participate in the 33rd Philippine Business Conference in Manila in October 2007 where they could possibly sign the pending agreement between the two Chambers of Commerce.
Both sides updated each other on relevant regional and international issues of mutual interest. The Philippines highlighted its chairmanship of ASEAN, the upcoming ASEAN Ministerial Meeting and ASEAN Regional Forum in Manila. Likewise, Egypt discussed its hosting of the Asia-Middle East Dialogue (AMED) in Sharm El Sheikh in March 2008 and the new Asia-Africa Strategic Partnership Ministerial Meeting in January 2008 as well as its continuous peace efforts in addressing the situation in Palestinian territories, Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, Iran, and the Darfur Crisis in Sudan.
The two countries expressed hope that the next round of consultations that will be held next year in Manila will bring relations between Egypt and the Philippines to an even higher level. |