Daily News Egypt
Sunday May 14, 2017
Prime Minister Sherif Ismail met with Somali president Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed and invited him to visit Egypt, as directed by President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, to enhance bilateral relations between the two countries.
The meeting came following the conclusion of the conference in London about Somalia, which lasted for two days in collaboration with the Somali government and the United Nations. Ismail attended the conference, representing the Egyptian state.
The prime minister expressed his hope that the results of the conference will contribute to supporting
Somalia and providing it with an appropriate environment for its development and prosperity.
He also affirmed Egypt’s full readiness to provide all aspects of support to the Somali government across all fields.
The Somali president welcomed Al-Sisi’s invitation, referring to the historical relations between the two countries and the long-standing role played by Egypt to support Somalia.
Two days ago, the Egyptian armed forces sent medical aid and food to Somalia in a C-130 military transport plane after orders by President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi. Somalis have suffered from years of drought, which has left them in dire need of medical aid and food.
The Somali president also expressed appreciation for aid sent by Egypt, and he noted that he is looking forward to cooperating with Egypt and benefitting from its expertise in various fields.
He also added that Somalia appreciates Egypt’s efforts in training and advancing capacities in a variety of fields.
Ismail also stressed the importance of the role of the Egyptian private sector in carrying out projects to enhance the economic cooperation with Somalia, pointing out that a delegation of Egyptian businesspeople will visit Mogadishu soon to discuss several areas of joint cooperation.
Ismail pointed out that there are many great opportunities to increase trade exchange and economic cooperation between the two countries in a number of fields, including agriculture, irrigation, mining, oil and gas, livestock, fishing, meat, and education.
The Somali president noted that his country is now beginning the process of reconstruction and needs cooperation in several areas—the foremost of which is agriculture and modern irrigation methods, thus contributing to the rational management of water resources. In this regard, he referred to efforts being made to build state institutions, strengthen security capabilities, and make administrative reforms in his country as a step towards comprehensive economic development.