An upcoming visit by President Abdel Fattah El Sisi to Portugal will boost cooperation between the two countries in the political, economic and cultural domains, Portuguese Ambassador here Madalena Fischer said.

The president’s visit will be the first by an Egyptian leader to Portugal in 20 years, Fischer told MENA on Monday.

During the visit, Sisi will have important talks with the Portuguese president, prime minister, parliament speaker and Lisbon mayor on means of promoting cooperation and issues of mutual interest such as the developments in the Middle East, the Libyan crisis and fighting terrorism and illegal migration, she said.

He will also have meetings with Portuguese businesspersons on bolstering investments in Egypt, she said, noting that Egypt and Portugal are keen to coordinate stances on different issues at international arenas.

Egypt is a promising portal of Portuguese exports to African countries, especially after the launch of the free trade zone of the three major African blocs (COMESA, SADC and EAC) in 2015, the Portuguese envoy said.

Several Portuguese companies had shown interest to exploit the investment opportunities available in the Egyptian market especially after the latest economic decisions in the country, mainly the liberalization of the local currency’s exchange rate, Fischer said.

She pointed out to promising fields for cooperation, including ports, pharmaceuticals, technology and new and renewable energy, urging the international community to back economic reform measures in Egypt.

Chairman of the General Authority for Suez Canal Economic Zone Ahmed Darwish had visited Lisbon in October and posted Portuguese businesspersons on the chances offered by the Suez Canal corridor project, she said, adding that a Portuguese business delegation will visit the area to get acquainted with the investment opportunities.

Terrorism poses a threat to all countries and international cooperation is needed to combat it, she said.

SMEs are also a possible field of cooperation between the two countries with efforts underway to establish an Egyptian-Portuguese business council to support partnership between the two private sectors, she said.

As for educational cooperation, she said Portugal is cooperating with Ain Shams and the American Universities in Cairo, stressing the importance of cultural cooperation.

Source: MENA