CAIRO, Dec 26 (MENA) - Minister of Foreign Affairs, Emigration, and Egyptian Expatriates Badr Abdelatty commended historical and cultural ties between Egypt and Chad.

Abdelatty made the comments during his meeting in N'Djamena with Chad's Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Integration, Chadians Abroad and International Cooperation Abdelrahman Ghulamallah, said Spokesman for the Foreign Ministry Tamim Khallaf.

The top Egyptian diplomat said his visit to Chad comes in light of Egypt's keenness to promote bilateral relations in the political, economic, trade, and investment fields and build on the recent visit of Chadian President Mahamat Idriss Deby to Cairo in July, as well as periodic meetings between the two countries' foreign ministers.

The spokesman added that Abdelatty underlined the importance of raising the volume of trade exchange between the two countries and exploring available investment opportunities.

The foreign minister is accompanied by an Egyptian business delegation to discuss chances of cooperation in various sectors, notably infrastructure, energy and agriculture, to achieve joint development that brings prosperity to Egyptian and Chadian peoples.

In a related context, Abdelatty said Egypt is willing to provide support for Chad to enhance the capacity of its national institutions tasked with bringing about security and stability, as well as countering terrorism and extremism.

The Egyptian foreign minister extolled the pivotal role played by Al Azhar in countering the extremist thought in Chad, as well as the part of the Cairo International Center for Conflict Resolution, Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding in combating the extremist ideology and transnational organized crime.

Abdelatty underscored the significance of increasing courses offered by the Egyptian Agency of Partnership for Development (EAPD) and allocating several
scholarships to Chadian students at Egyptian universities, in addition to expanding programs for Chadian diplomats.

The two foreign ministers agreed to reactivate the joint committee between the two countries as soon as possible to examine ways of fostering the existing cooperation and advancing bilateral relations.

Meanwhile, Abdelatty and Ghulamallah exchanged views on a number of regional issues, notably the developments in Sudan that have a direct effect on Egypt and Chad, which receive the largest number of Sudanese refugees.

The two ministers also talked about the updates in Libya and the Sahel and the Horn of Africa regions, along with the water security, which is an existential issue for Egypt. (MENA)

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