ISLAMABAD: Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry arrived here on Sunday to attend 48th session of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation Council of Foreign Ministers being held in the federal capital.
Upon arrival, he was warmly received by Prime Minister’s Special Representative on Religious Harmony Tahir Ashrafi. Later the visiting dignitary discussed the bilateral ties, cooperation in diverse fields and important regional and global issues with Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi
During a meeting, the foreign minister said that Egypt was an important brotherly country of the region and it was achieving political stability and strength under the leadership of President Abdel Fattah-el-Sisi.
Qureshi said both countries were linked on basis of common faith and cultural affinities and expressed satisfaction at the shared views of both the countries with regard to various regional and international issues.
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Foreign minister Qureshi observed that bilateral ties between the two countries had been further strengthened during the last few years due to increased interaction at the highest level. He noted that bilateral trade between the two countries surged to $423 million during the last fiscal year.
Both sides also agreed to further increase bilateral trade. Qureshi said participation in the joint air defence exercises in Egypt was also a manifestation of the strong defence ties between the brotherly countries.
The foreign minister said that cultural relations could also serve as a platform to bring the people of the two countries closer and they would welcome solid proposals from the Egyptian side to further strengthened these ties.
He said the meeting of the OIC- Council of Foreign Ministers was being held in Islamabad when Pakistan would be celebrating its 75th anniversary of its independence. The Egyptian foreign minister thanked the foreign minister for the warm welcome accorded to him.
