BRUSSELS/CAIRO, Jan 20 (MENA) - Minister of Foreign Affairs, Emigration and Egyptian Expatriates Badr Abdelatty commended distinguished relations between Egypt and Belgium at all levels.

Abdelatty made the comments during his meeting in Brussels on Monday with Belgian Foreign Minister Bernard Quintin, said Spokesman for the Foreign Minister Tamim Khallaf.

The Egyptian top diplomat said he looks forward to continuing joint coordination with his Belgian counterpart to build on the momentum witnessed by bilateral ties to promote joint cooperation in different political, economic and investment fields.

Abdelatty extolled the prominent participation of Belgian companies in the Egypt-EU Investment Conference, held in June 2024, and the signing of a large investment deal between the two countries to construct a green hydrogen plant in the industrial zone of the Port of Gargoub.

The foreign minister reviewed the economic reforms introduced by the Egyptian government to create an attractive investment climate.

Abdelatty emphasized his keenness to sign a cooperation agreement with Belgium in the filed of migration, which would benefit both countries and contribute to controlling the regular migration.

He also expressed hope that Belgium would support the disbursement of the 4-billion-euro second tranche of the 7.4-billion-euro EU financing package for Egypt.

The foreign minister stated Egypt pays great attention to restoring smuggled antiquities, in accordance with the president's directives, especially as stolen antiquities represent important historical and cultural heritage for the country.

In this regard, Abdelatty urged the Belgian authorities concerned to further cooperate with the Egyptian authorities in recovering smuggled monuments.

Regarding regional issues, the foreign minister addressed challenges facing the Middle East, the Red Sea and the Horn of Africa, in addition to their impact on the region's security and stability.

Abdelatty posted his Belgian counterpart on Egypt's stance on crises in Syria, Libya, Sudan, Somalia and the Horn of Africa, calling on the EU to provide more support for Egypt, so that it could be able to tackle those challenges, given the interconnection between the security and stability of the Middle East and the security and stability of Europe.

The two ministers exchanges views on the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip, where Abdelatty highlighted the tireless efforts exerted by Egypt, Qatar and the US to reach this deal.

The Belgian foreign minister lauded Egypt's pivotal role in striking the ceasefire agreement and maintaining regional security and stability. (MENA)

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