Egypt, Switzerland discuss mines clearance project

International Cooperation Minister Sahar Nasr asserted that Switzerland was really interested in supporting Egypt in the land mines clearance project as well as sustainable development plans that would pave the way for providing job opportunities for youth and women and raising the peoples standards of living.

The minister's remarks were made following its meeting with Swiss Economy Minister Johann Schneider-Ammann on the fringe of her participation in the World Bank annual meetings held in Washington.

Nasr asserted that her ministry was keen on pushing ahead relations with Switzerland in all domains.

The meeting also probed preparations for Nasr's visit to Switzerland, set for November, to coordinate stances as regards the signing of a joint declaration of intent to work out a mechanism for activating cooperation between the two countries in all fields.

Meanwhile, the minister also met with President of the European Bank for Development and Reconstruction (EBDR) Suma Chakrabarti in the presence of Egyptian Ambassador to Washington Yasser Redha, Minister Plenipotentiary and Egypt's Executive Director at the World Bank Ragi el Etreby and the minister's advisors.

Nasr welcomed EBDR's president and praised the bank's investments in Egypt which hit euros 1.799 million in 33 projects, 61 percent of them are carried out by the private sector.

The two sides discussed the new strategies for cooperation between the bank and the Egyptian government. They agreed on the necessity of launching the first strategy for EBDR's operations in Egypt to be reviewed by the bank's board ahead of its launching in early 2017.

The minister also reiterated the importance of obtaining the bank's support in the field of renewable energy, especially the solar one, that would certainly contribute to standing against the impact of climate change and help achieve sustainable development. 

EBDR has allocated euros 500 million for supporting the renewable energy sector, asserting that Egypt is on the right track and would be the third biggest country to get the bank's support.

Source: MENA