Trade and Industry Minister Tareq Qabil said preparations are underway for the 7th Session of the Egyptian-Ukrainian Joint Committee on Economic, Scientific and Technical Cooperation, set for Cairo.

In statements Monday following his meeting with Ukrainian Ambassador in Cairo Hennadiy Latte, the minister expressed his ministry's keenness on boosting trade and economic cooperation with Ukraine in the coming period.

Egypt is seeking to beef up its exports to the Ukrainian market, Qabil said, underlining that the trade balance tilted in favor of the Ukrainian side.

Qabil added that talks with the Ukrainian diplomat also took up promoting bilateral relations in the trade and investment fields. 

There is a great chance for cooperation between the private sectors of the two countries, particularly in light of the preferential trade agreements signed between Egypt and major economic blocs, like the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) and the Greater Arab Free Trade Area (GAFTA) trading bloc, the minister noted.

For his part, the Ukrainian diplomat asserted his country's keenness on bolstering economic cooperation with Egypt as one of the crucial countries in the Middle East and Africa and one of the most important trading partners for Ukraine in the region.

The convocation of the Egyptian-Ukrainian Committee in Cairo will open new vistas of economic and trade cooperation between the two countries. Amb. Latte said.

Source: MENA