Trade and Industry Minister Tareq Qabil denied any intention to ban importation of finished goods.

The minister stressed that Egypt is committed to the international trade agreements, especially in view of its membership in the World Trade Organization.

In a statement on Tuesday, the minister dismissed as baseless reports claiming that the government will ban the importation of 15 fully manufactured goods.

Qabil said purporting such rumors would negatively affect the Egyptian economy.

He noted that any measure taken by the government conforms with the international trade agreements.

He added that registering factories exporting goods to Egypt was not meant to impose restrictions on importations, but it is applied in the majority of world countries.

He called on the media to verify the authenticity of any news item.