Karim Darwish, the head of the Egyptian parliament s foreign affairs committee, told reporters on Wednesday that the committee will hold two meetings tomorrow to discuss relations between Egypt on one hand and France and Canada on the other. Darwish said the first meeting will be held with a French parliamentary delegation. The meeting will be attended by Jacques Maire, vice president of the French National Assembly s foreign affairs committee.

Egypt s President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi stressed on Monday the necessity of overcoming challenges facing the African continent through developing economic projects, calling on the international community to provide support for Africa. The call by the Egyptian president, who currently chairs the African Union (AU), came during the coordinating meeting today between the leaders of various African countries and major regional economic groups in Africa as part of the AU summit held in Niger (7-8 July). The 12th Summit of the AU kicked off in Niamey, Niger on Sunday, to launch the long-awaited-African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). Monday s coordinating meeting was attended by leaders of African countries and heads of African economic blocs and groups, including the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), East African Community (EAC), Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), among others. "The summit is an opportunity for developing economic and trade projects in our continent," the Egyptian president said, thanking president of Niger Mahamadou Issoufou as well as the head of the AU Commission Moussa Faki for organising a successful gathering in the West African nation. "The African Union is one of the major sovereign institutions that address multiple key issues, projects and future plans," President El-Sisi stressed. He added that the eight regional economic blocs in Africa play an indispensable role in upholding cohesion among African countries, making them the main pillars of boosting joint African action. The Egyptian president called for appreciation of the effective role played by these blocs, which he said possess varied capabilities that give impetus for regional integration across the continent. He added that the AU summit in Niger created an opportunity to enhance cohesion between the AU and the eight regional economic blocs, voicing support for investors showing eagerness to back Africa s economic and trade projects. "African countries have adopted a political strategic view and launched many initiatives to render further projects a success alongside creating more job opportunities for African youth, aiming to achieve higher dreams and aspirations," the Egyptian president said. El-Sisi stressed during Monday s coordinating meeting the necessity of tackling all challenges facing the continent. "Though the summit is due to conclude today, the ongoing cooperation and integration among African countries will never come to an end, thanks to potential projects and future plans of action that predict a promising future for the continent," the Egyptian president asserted. In his capacity as the president of the AU for 2019, President El-Sisi announced on Sunday that the AfCFTA has come into force to enhance the inter-African trade. El-Sisi affirmed during the summit s opening ceremony that the agreeement will reinforce African countries negotiating position on the international stage. Around 4,500 delegates and guests – including 32 heads of state and more than 100 ministers – attended the AU 12th summit in Niamey. Considered the largest trade bloc since the creation of the World Trade Organisation in 1994, the AfCFTA seeks to triple the volume of intra-African trade from 17 percent to 60 percent by 2022. The 55-nation trade bloc aims at reducing imports, improving productive and manufacturing capacities and supporting infrastructure projects in Africa.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi will chair a coordination summit in Niamey, Niger, on Monday. The summit will be attended by leaders and heads of African countries and blocs, including the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), East African Community (EAC), Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), among others. The coordination summit will seek to develop AfCFTA-related frameworks and foundations for integration with tools for common action in the coming period. An extraordinary Summit of the African Union kicked off in Niamey, Niger on Sunday, launching the long-awaited-African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). Egypt s President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi, who currently chairs the African Union (AU), said during the summit s opening ceremony that the AfCFTA will reinforce African countries negotiating position on the international stage. Around 4,500 delegates and guests – including 32 heads of state and more than 100 ministers – attended the AU 12th summit in Niamey. The agreement was formalised at the end of May when the agreement crossed the launch threshold, which required ratification by at least 22 countries. Considered the largest since the creation of the World Trade Organisation in 1994, the AfCFTA seeks to triple the volume of intra-African trade from 17 percent to 60 percent by 2022. The 55-nation trade block aims at reducing imports, improving productive and manufacturing capacities and supporting infrastructure projects in Africa. According to an AFP report, with Nigeria and Benin s signatures, 54 of the 55 AU member countries have now signed onto the deal, with Eritrea the only holdout.

Egypt s President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi is attending on Sunday the 12th Extraordinary Summit of the African Union in Niamey, Niger. Sisi arrived in Niger on Saturday to chair the Summit set to be held on Sunday and Monday. The summit is scheduled to witness the launch of African Continental Free Trade Area after completing the number of the required endorsements, Presidential Spokesman Bassam Rady said. Rady said the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) is one of Egypt s priorities in light of its chairmanship of the AU, as it will create the largest free trade area in the world and boost intra-African trade volumes. The AfCFTA seeks to triple the volume of intra-African trade from 17% to 60% by 2022. It also aims at reducing imports, improving productive and manufacturing capacities and supporting infrastructure projects in Africa. The agreement officially went into force on May 30.

President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi met UN General Assembly (UNGA) President María Fernanda Espinosa at the presidential palace on Wednesday morning. In a statement issued by Presidential Spokesperson Bassam Rady, El-Sisi stressed Egypt s firm stance on adopting a comprehensive international approach to address the root causes of migration and refugees issues during the meeting. El-Sisi said that the approach to solving the migration and refugee problems should includes economic, developmental, political, cultural and humanitarian measures, with a focus on the development of source countries and not just focusing on security solutions. From her side, Espinosa applauded Egypt s pivotal role in the Middle East as cornerstone of security and stability in addition to its keenness on reaching political settlements for various crises in the region. The president of UNGA praised Egypt s active participation in various activies during the United Nations and International multilateral forums. Espinosa also highlighted Egypt s efforts defending the issues of African and developing countries, especially within the framework of its current chairmanship of the African Union (AU). Her visit comes more than a year after being elected president of the UNGA s 73rd session in June 2018; the fourth woman to hold the position and the first since 2006. Espinosa is scheduled to also meet Coptic Orthodox Pope Tawadros II and other senior political and community leaders, according to the UN office in Egypt. Moreover, she is scheduled to deliver a lecture at Egypt s prestigious Cairo University entitled Multilateralism in a Changing World as part of an event hosted by the country s National Council of Women.

The World Bank approved new funding of $500 million for three years to help Egypt strengthen the country s social safety nets, the Ministry of Investment and International Cooperation said Wednesday. The new financing is aimed to support the expansion of the “Takaful and Karama” cash transfer programme, which was launched in 2015, for an additional three years, the ministry said in a statement on its official website. "As Egypt implements the second phase of the economic reformme programme, we remain committed to providing sustainable income-generating opportunities," Minister of Investment and International Cooperation Sahar Nasr said, according to the statement. "This partnership with the World Bank builds on the success of the Takaful and Karama programme and the World Bank s support for our goal to achieve sustainable growth for all Egyptians,” Minister Nasr added. Meanwhile, according to the statement, Marina Wes, World Bank country Director for Egypt, Yemen and Djibouti said the bank, through this program, continues to support Egypt s efforts to develop human resources and create jobs, which she said are essential for the success of the country s reform programmes. Wes added that promoting sustainable and comprehensive growth requires effective support to escape from the cycle of poverty, according to the statement. The Takaful and Karama programme, which translates to "Solidarity and Dignity," was launched in 2015 with $400 million in financing from the World Bank The Programme has reached more than two million impoverished households nationwide, benefiting approximately nine million individuals across all 27 governorates, or approximately 10 percent of Egypt’s population, with women comprising 88 percent of the programme’s beneficiaries. This programme, carried out by the social solidarity ministry, offers monthly conditional pensions to vulnerable families and non-conditional pensions to poor, elderly citizens and people with severe disabilities and diseases, as well as orphans. "Our partnership with the World Bank helps us design programmes that improve quality of life and build humans,” Minister of Social Solidarity Ghada Waly said, accordingto the statement. The World Bank currently has 16 projects in Egypt, worth a total of $7.5 billion.

Egypt s Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Ahmed El-Tayeb, is travelling to Germany to conduct medical treatments. El-Tayeb will be completing medical treatment nearly a year after travelling to Germany in 2018 for a number of spine related medical tests. He will be resuming his medical treatments under the adivce of his treating physicians.

Egypt s President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi said on Sunday that Egypt has the necessary potential to be a gateway for all Japanese industries into different markets in Africa, the Middle East and Europe, as Egypt is linked to many nations around the world with free trade agreements. According to a statement by the Egyptian presidency, El-Sisi told the head of Toyota Tsusho company Ichiro Kashitani that Japan is a strategic partner for Egypt and that there are many available investment opportunities in Egypt nowadays in light of the several mega national projects the country is currently carrying out, including the Suez Canal Corridor project. El-Sisi talked about the measures taken to iron out hurdles facing investors, presidential spokesman Rady said. Kashitani briefed El-Sisi on the projects his company is planning to carry out in Egypt, saying more consultations will be held with the Egyptian side within the coming period over these projects. He added that the Japanese business sector sees promising investment opportunities in Egypt within the coming period, especially in the auto manufacturing and oil exploration domains. Kashitani will visit Egypt this year, and he will hold another meeting with El-Sisi on the sidelines of the Japan-Africa summit hosted by Japan in August, the statement said. Toyota, which has been operating in Egypt for several decades, sees Egypt as its gateway to Africa, the spokesman said.

The loyalty of the Egyptians to their homeland and their rejection of any attempt to erase their national identity are facts that do not change over time, President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi said on the 6th anniversary of 30 June revolution. In a nationwide address over the occasion, the Egyptian president said the Egyptian people are closely linked to their homeland and their identity and they rise high above the narrow interests of some groups or external parties who believed that their black terrorism would undermine the will of a nation that made history. Despite the difficult circumstances that shrouded June 30 revolution, they are still the best days in our modern history as we saw how hope was born in darkness, the President said. Over the years, and with the support of the army and police, Sisi said the Egyptians joined hands with all state institutions to defend our precious homeland from any conflict or chaos meant to tear apart the nation or weaken it. "We managed to dismantle the infrastructure of terrorist organizations through launching a comprehensive military operation in Sinai," he said. As a result, Egypt has become a stable and more secure center amid a highly volatile region, he added. "We also managed to lay down solid bases for an advanced economy to face hard economic conditions. We took decisions that were tough for Egyptians but they courageously bore their consequences because they are fully understanding of the burdens of reforms," El-Sisi. El-Sisi renewed commitment to continue defending Egypt no matter what it costs in order to build a strong nation. He also reiterated commitment to putting the nation s s interest above any other interest and to continue building and development march at all levels. At the end, the President saluted all Egyptians whom he described as makers of hope and future.

Egypt s President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi held talks on Thursday in Osaka with the Prime Minister of Japan, Shinzo Abe, ahead of attending the G20 Summit, which starts in the Japanese city on Friday. President El-Sisi is attending the G20 summit upon the invitation of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, whose country holds the current G20 presidency, according to a statement by the presidential spokesperson on Wednesday.

Egypt s President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi is heading to Japan today to participate in the Group of 20 (G20) Summit in Osaka. The president s participation in the G20 summit comes upon the invitation of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, whose country holds the current G20 presidency, according to a statement by Egypt s presidential spokesperson Bassam Rady.

Egypt and Russia have matching views on the need to establish an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said in Moscow on Monday. In a press conference held in Moscow following his meeting with Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov, Shoukry said that the two diplomats discussed bilateral relations between Egypt and Russia as well as the recent developments in Palestine, Libya, Syria, Sudan and the Gulf region. During the talks, which mainly focused on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, Lavrov voiced concerns over attempts by the US to promote “unfair” plans instead of a two-state solution. The top Russian diplomat said that both Egypt and Russia agreed on the need to combat terrorism in the Middle East and North Africa region. Lavrov stressed Russia’s support for settling all conflicts and wars in the region through political and diplomatic dialogue while respecting peoples’ right to self-determination. Lavrov also urged solving the Arab Gulf crisis through dialogue and confidence-building. Shoukry asserted the necessity of continued coordination between Egypt and Russia within the framework of international organisations to adopt resolutions by the National Assembly to establish a nuclear-weapon-free zone . The talks also included discussions about the preparations for the first Russia-Africa Summit in Sochi on 24 October, which will be co-chaired by Egypt and Russia.

Egypt s foreign ministry strongly condemned on Monday morning the deadly drone attack by Houthi militias on a parking lot at Abha International Airport in Saudi Arabia late Sunday, which killed one person and injured 7 others. The statement also stressed Egypt’s support to Saudi Arabia s people and government, as well as to all measures taken by Saudi Arabia to protect the security and stability of the kingdom. Sunday s drone attack on Abha is the latest Houthi attack on civilian targets in Saudi Arabia in recent weeks. Two weeks ago, a Houthi drone attack on Abha International airport wounded 26 people. Egypt has repeatedly denounced Houthi attacks against the Kingdom, expressing its solidarity with Saudi Arabia s people and government. Following the first Houthi attack on Abha, the foreign ministry said that "targeting international airports is a flagrant violation of all international laws and norms, calling for an immediate halt to any targeting of Saudi territories and urged the international community to work to combat all terrorist acts that undermine stability in the region. A Saudi-led coalition has been leading a military effort against the Houthi militias since March 2015 in support of Yemen s internationally-recognised President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, who was ousted by the Houthis from the capital Sanaa in 2014.

Egypt s parliament – the House of Representatives – began discussing the country s state budget (2019/20) and development plan on Saturday. Minister of Finance Mohamed Mait told MPs in a plenary session that the government will do everything possible to protect poor and limited income classes against the hardships of economic reform.

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi described his talks with Romanian counterpart Klaus Iohannisas as "fruitful and constructive" during a press conference in the Romanian capital Bucharest on Wednesday. The two leaders discussed boosting economic ties and political relations between their countries. El-Sisi told reporters after the talks that bilateral economic and tourism cooperation has seen a recent boost, with trade between the two states reaching $1 billion in 2018.

Egypt s Army Chief-of-Staff Mohamed Farid met on Tuesday in Cairo with the Chief of Staff, Joint Staff of the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) Koji Yamazaki and an accompanying delegation. The two commanders exchanged views on regional and international issues affecting security and stability in the region, as well as ways to increase military cooperation and joint training. General Yamazaki stressed the importance of military cooperation with Egypt and its strategic role in achieving security and stability in the Middle East. He also expressed his deep appreciation and trust in the Egyptian Armed Forces, which has played a great role in achieving security and stability in Sinai, prompting the Japanese government to participate in the multinational force in Sinai. Farid stressed the depth of the established ties binding the two countries and expressed hopes that the next phase will see more joint cooperation between the armed forces of both countries. The meeting was attended by senior commanders of the Egyptian Armed Forces and the Japanese ambassador in Cairo.

Egypt s President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi met on Monday in Minsk with Belarusian Prime Minister Sergei Rumas on means of fighting terrorism and eradicating extremist thought. El-Sisi hailed the deeply-rooted relations between Egypt and Belarus, and reviewed the efforts exerted by Cairo on the international level to wipe out terrorism, presidential spokesman Bassam Rady said. The Egyptian president also lauded the level of economic cooperation between the two countries, saying that there is great potential for Belarusian investments in Egypt. El-Sisi also asserted that it is crucial to continue intelligence coordination between the two countries to face common challenges. Egypt is keen on deepening its relations with Belarus in different fields, particularly in trade and the economy, El-Sisi said. The Belarusian PM hailed Egypt s economic reform programme and its ongoing mega projects. Earlier on Monday, El-Sisi met with a number of Belarusian businessmen. "Egypt has become an important economic partner of Belarus in Africa," El-Sisi said, inviting the Belarusian businessmen to pump investments in Egypt in the fields of agricultural machinery, information technology and tourism. The spokesman added that Belarusian companies expressed their eagerness to expand their business in Egypt, which plays a vital role in maintaining stability in the Middle East and Africa, particularly in the field of countering illegal migration and promoting co-existence among peoples. President El-Sisi is on a European tour that includes Belarus and Romania. El-Sisi is scheduled with Belarus President Aleksander Lukashenko to discuss boosting bilateral ties. El-Sisi will also meet with the heads of the House of Representatives and the National Assembly, the spokesman added. The two sides will discuss their views on a host of other regional and international political issues, with a focus on the fight against terrorism and extremist ideology. In Minsk, the president is scheduled to sign a number of bilateral cooperation agreements, the spokesman said.

Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry on Sunday received a phone call from his French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian, foreign ministry spokesman Ahmed Hafez said in a statement. The two sides discussed ways of boosting bilateral ties and shared views on the latest developments in the region, he added. They also discussed the means to develop bilateral cooperation in all fields to serve the two countries interests. Among the regional issues discussed were developments in Libya, Sudan, and in the Gulf. The pair agreed on the necessity of continuous coordination and future consultations to enhance security and stability in the region, Hafez said.

Egypt’s Ministry of Transport inaugurated on Saturday morning the opening of three new metro stations – Haroun El-Rashid, El-Shams Club, and Alf Maskan – as part of the fourth phase of the third line of the Cairo metro line system. The ministry said in a statement that the new stations - as well as all the other stations along Cairo’s three metro lines - have seen an organised flow of passengers on Saturday. The opening of the three new stations comes less than one week before the kickoff of the 2019 African Cup of Nations (2019 AFCON) in Cairo and three other Egyptian cities. Passengers have praised the level of service provided at the new stations, the ministry added. The ministry thanked the passengers for their understanding of the decision of the Egyptian Company for Metro Management and Operation (ECMCO) to raise fares on Cairo s third metro line starting Saturday. It also thanked the passengers for their large turnout to acquire fare subscriptions. The third metro line, which started operation in 2012, now extends from Attaba Square in central Cairo to the outskirts of Heliopolis in east Cairo. Egypt s transportation ministry had announced on Friday that the fares on the third metro line would increase from EGP 3-7 to EGP 5-10 coinciding with the opening of the three new stations. Rides of up to nine stops on the third metro line will now cost EGP 5, rides of 6-15 stops will be priced at EGP 7, and rides of 16 stops or more will cost EGP 10. The existing prices of subscriptions of EGP 33 for students for 25 stations, EGP 22 for 25 stations for people with disabilities, and EGP 135 for 35 stations for the elderly remain unchanged. There will be no increase in the prices of tickets on the other two metro lines in the system, the ministry said. The ministry explained that the new third line stations will feature air-conditioned and pollution-free trains and stations with elevators and escalators for the elderly and electronic display screens giving updates on train arrival times. The ministry explained that the new stations will help ease the process of transport for a large number of fans attending the 2019 AFCON games from Heliopolis to a number of stadiums hosting the games in the Greater Cairo area, including Cairo International Stadium, El-Salam Stadium and 30 June Stadium.

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi called on Wednesday for boosting political, legislative and judicial cooperation between African countries to combat corruption as he opened in Sharm El-Sheikh the African Anti-Corruption Forum (AAFC) -- the first anti-corruption forum in the continent. In his keynote speech to the forum broadcast live from the Red Sea city of Sharm El-Sheikh, El-Sisi told representatives of African countries and Arab guests at the forum that corruption is one of the major obstacles to economic growth and achieving sustainable development in the continent, adding that it jeopardises the "legitimate aspirations of the peoples of the African continent towards boosting the ideals of freedom and equality." "Combating corruption and changing the reality of our continent can only be achieved through concerted efforts, developing common visions, and boosting African coordination mechanisms to curb corruption," El-Sisi told the gathering. The two-day forum brings together top state officials and representatives from 48 African countries, four Arab nations and nine international organisations. The Egyptian president holds the rotating presidency of the 55-nation African Union (AU) for 2019. El-Sisi said that Egypt has made headways in identifying the causes of corruption and developing accurate indexes to measure its levels, as well as in boosting the role of supervisory bodies in promoting transparency to preserve public funds. Egypt, he said, has been pushing ahead with legislative reforms in this regard. The Egyptian government has passed legislation necessary to eliminate corruption, set up specialised departments to fight financial and administrative corruption and adopted measures for digital transformation to boost administrative and financial governance and cut red tape, El-Sisi explained to the forum. Egypt s Administrative Control Authority set up a national committee and a national academy to fight corruption in 2014 and 2017 respectively. El-Sisi said that Egypt is planning to increase training programmes offered by the academy to supervisory and control authorities in Africa as part of its efforts to back anti-corruption measures in the continent. In 2017, Egypt signed the African Union Convention on Prevention and Combating Corruption, the main anti-corruption legal framework in the continent. African officials leading the fight against corruption in their countries made opening statements discussing the challenges facing the continent in its efforts towards strengthening both development and transparency in governance. The chairman of Egypt s Administrative Control Authority Sherif Saif Eddin said that the forum has five goals; developing anti-corruption mechanisms between African countries, cracking down on organised crime, developing human resources in Africa, boosting the democratisation of technology, and establishing justice and security as cornerstone for development in the continent. Saif Eddin told the forum that corruption costs African countries billions of dollars every year and is holding back development and stability efforts in the continent, and called for the launch of an African corruption index and enacting firmer legislation to root out corruption.

President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi is scheduled to inaugurate the African Anti-Corruption Forum (AACF) in Sharm El-Sheikh on Wednesday. In statements, Presidential Spokesman Bassam Rady said the forum is held upon an initiative launched by President El-Sisi in January 2018 during his participation in the 30th Ordinary Session of the African Union (AU) Summit that was held in Addis Ababa under the theme: "Winning the Fight Against Corruption: A Sustainable Path to Africa s Transformation." The two-day forum aims at providing a platform for African countries to meet on a regular basis to exchange information, experiences and best practices for the purpose of consolidating their national capabilities and institutions in the fight against corruption, the spokesman added. The forum will address several topics, including the continental and national efforts conducted by African countries in accordance with their international and regional commitments, the relationship between corruption and development, capacity building and human resources, the role of civil society and the private sector, and how to enhance African inter-governmental coordination in combating corruption. The Egyptian president is the current chairman of the AU in 2019.