President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi on Tuesday received a phone call from Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. During the phone call, the two sides discussed the close historical bilateral ties in different areas, Presidential Spokesman Bassam Rady said. The pair exchanged views on regional issues of mutual concern, asserting the importance of strengthening coordination in this regard, either at the bilateral level or within the framework of the tripartite cooperation mechanism between Egypt, Greece and Cyprus, the spokesman added. The two leaders also affirmed the convergence of common interests and positions between their countries in the Eastern Mediterranean, the spokesman said. El-Sisi and Mitsotakis reviewed how to coordinate joint efforts with regard to countering terrorism and extremist thought, as well as illegal migration, the spokesman noted. The president lauded the distinguished relations between Cairo and Athens, saying that Egypt looks forward to boosting cooperation with Greece at all levels, notably the security, military and economic ones, the spokesman noted.

Egypt s Finance Minister Mohamed Maait said on Monday that the 2020/21 fiscal year will witness improvement in the living conditions of the Egyptian people. Addressing the parliament s manpower committee, Maait said that the government will submit the new budget to the House of Representatives on 31 March. He added that the government has succeeded in controlling the inflation rates and providing the basic commodities for citizens at affordable prices in the past period. Maait also expected the public debt to reach 83 percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 30 June, 2020, down from 108 percent of the GDP before the start of the economic reform program in 2016. He pointed out that a large number of public servants are scheduled to be promoted in January after the allocation of EGP 1.5 billion on that score.

Egypt’s parliament approved on Sunday morning a long-awaited cabinet reshuffle that involves 11 portfolios, including the reinstatement of a ministry and the merging of two others. The House of Representatives announced that Mostafa Madbouly will retain his post as prime minister, and will also be in charge of the portfolio of investment and administrative reform. The reshuffle includes two cabinet ministers who have been named to other portfolios. These are tourism minister Rania El-Mashat, who will be in charge of the international cooperation portfolio, and minister of parliamentary affairs Omar Marawn, who will be minister of justice. The ministries of tourism and antiquities have been merged into one portfolio, with current Minister of Antiquities Khaled El-Anani to remain at the helm. The cabinet shake-up saw the reintroduction of a ministry for information. Osama Heikal, a former minister of information (2011) and the current head of parliament’s culture, media, and antiquities committee, will be appointed minister of state for information. Egypt’s last minister of information was Dorreya Sharafeddin who left after the post was cancelled in 2014. Planning and Administrative Reform Minister Hala El-Saeed will be in charge of planning and economic development. Nevine Gamea, who has been in charge of a government body for small and medium-sized enterprises, has been named minister of industry instead of Amr Nassar. Nevine El-Qabbag has been appointed minister of social solidarity, replacing Ghada Wali, who was named last month Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). Other appointments were Mohamed Manar Enaba as minister of aviation, Alaa Fouad as minister of parliamentary affairs and El-Sayed El-Qossair as minister of agriculture. The ministers are expected to be sworn in before President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi later on Sunday. The reshuffle also involves 11 deputy ministers. House speaker Ali Abdel-Aal said the new appointments have been approved by the absolute majority of MPs.

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah-El Sisi on Saturday praised efforts by the Armed Forces to uproot terrorism and maintain security and stability nationwide. Meeting Defence Minister Mohamed Zaki and Navy Commander Ahmed Khaled, El-Sisi ordered to continue upgrading capabilities, training and combat readiness, presidential spokesman Bassam Rady said in a statement. The meeting reviewed the latest developments regarding measures taken to protect, secure and tighten control of the Egyptian borders, as well as efforts to eliminate terrorism and enhance comprehensive security capabilities along the land and maritime borders on all strategic directions

Egypt s President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi has congratulated British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on the victory of his Conservatives Party in the country’s general election. In a phone call with Johnson on Wednesday, El-Sisi said the party’s landslide victory in the election reflects British voters’ confidence in Johnson’s vision and ability to lead the country in the coming stage, Egypt s presidential spokesman Bassam Rady said in press statements on Wednesday. The president also congratulated the British premier on the approach of Christmas. During the phone call, El-Sisi lauded the positive development in Cairo-London relations, especially after the British government’s recent decision to resume direct flights to Sharm El-Sheikh airport, and that Egypt is looking forward to increased cooperation in various fields, in particular on the economic, political, security and tourism levels. The talks also touched on consultation and coordination on regional and international issues. Meanwhile, the British prime minister asserted his keenness to continue consultation and coordination with El-Sisi on various issues of common interest. Johnson also affirmed his country’s determination to upgrade bilateral relations with Egypt on all levels, particularly in light of Cairo’s role in supporting and consolidating peace and stability in the Middle East and Africa.

Egypt s Ministry of Investment and International Cooperation and Central Agency for Public Mobilisation and Statistics (CAPMAS) signed Tuesday with the World Bank an assistance agreement worth EGP 2.5 million as part of Egypt s national strategy for upgrading statistics. Minister of Investment and International Cooperation Sahar Nassr said the agreement was signed to in order to better evaluate all economic and business sectors in Egypt, and to track the implementation of sustainable development objectives.

Egypt and the USAID signed on Tuesday an agreement for an additional $6 million for the North Sinai development initiative, bringing the total in the bilateral assistance programme to the governorate to $56 million. The agreement was signed by Egypt s Minister of Investment and International Cooperation Sahar Nasr and the USAID Mission Director in Egypt Sherry Carlin, in attendance of the US Ambassador in Egypt Jonathan Cohen.

A project to establish Japanese-style schools in Egypt is of a great importance for building Egyptian citizens, President Abdel Fattah El Sisi said on Sunday. Sisi made his remarks during a meeting with a group of Japanese experts who are expected to supervise the Japanese education system in Egypt. Shedding light on the Japanese system s focus on honing students personal as well as academic abilities and promoting the teamwork concept, Sisi commended the experts enthusiasm for contributing to such a mega national project. Meanwhile, the experts expressed their pleasure to meet President Sisi in Sharm El Sheikh, the venue of the 3rd edition of the World Youth Forum, which kicked off on Saturday. They noted that their participation in Egypt s educational reform project is based on their appreciation of the country s cultural legacy and ancient history and the state s keen willingness to adhere to the best standards while working on this project, Presidential Spokesman Bassam Rady said. The meeting tackled the experts action plan and proposed timeline for setting up and implementing a clear-cut plan to apply the Japanese education system in Egypt, including teachers training and curriculum development in cooperation with the education and technical education ministry, Rady noted. The project, which aims to create 100 such schools, was agreed on during Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi s visit to Japan in February 2016. Under a cooperation protocol signed between Egypt and Japan in 2017, Japan is providing the necessary technical support for the project.

The second day of the third edition of the World Youth Forum (WYF) kicked off in Sharm El-Sheikh on Sunday, with the participation of Egypt s President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi. The second day of the forum, which is attended by international dignitaries and hundreds of youth from around the world, started with a roundtable on current challenges to international peace and security. Egypt s Minister of Foreign Affairs Sameh Shoukry, Secretary General of the Arab League Ahmed Aboul-Gheit, and Secretary General of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation Yousef Bin Ahmad Al-Othaimeen are keynote speakers in the session. A documentary film about terrorism threats, illegal immigration, and terrorist entities was screened during the opening of the session. The current edition of the WYF, which kicked off Saturday, is scheduled to discuss a number of key topics, including the fourth industrial revolution, food security, the Union for the Mediterranean, and environmental challenges. Topics like artificial intelligence, blockchain technology, women’s empowerment, and the arts and cinema are also on the forum’s agenda.

Egypt s President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi attended the opening session of the second day of the Aswan Forum for Sustainable Peace and Development on Thursday. The first session of the day kicked off under the title of "To enhance the role of African women to achieve peace, security and development." The second day of the forum will include sessions on advancing African women’s contribution to peace, security and development, a roundtable discussion on supporting the transition process in Sudan, and a session on forced displacement and mixed migration in Africa. The forum aims at enhancing sustainable peace and development in the African continent in light of Egypt s presidency to the African Union. The forum, which is held in Aswan 11-12 December, is attended by a number of African leaders and representatives from various western countries. In his opening remarks at the forum on Wednesday, El-Sisi urged African leaders to unite for peace and stability. A number of African heads of state stressed in their speeches the need to confront the threat terrorist groups pose to peace and development in the continent.

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi has called on African leaders to exercise their responsibility in acting on climate change and to unite efforts to face challenges to establishing stability and peace in the continent. El-Sisi s comments came during the opening of the Aswan Forum for Sustainable Peace and Development, which is taking place in Aswan, Upper Egypt 11-12 December. In a speech broadcast live on TV on Wednesday, El-Sisi urged African countries to join all efforts to overcome major problems facing Africa, mainly combating terrorism and associated phenomena of arms and human trafficking, illegal migration and increasing organised crimes. The Egyptian president, who curently holds the rotating presidency of the 55-national African Union, also called on fellow heads of state to take more decisive action to tackle climate change "We all shall act with responsibility on the negative implications of climate change which have exacerbated desertification and scarcity of water and natural resources," El-Sisi said African countries have made progress on achieving development and bringing stability in the region, El-sisi says, citing the adoption of 2063 African development agenda, and the initiative for a conflict-free continent by 2020 called Silencing the Guns by 2020 . More to follow

The foreign ministers of Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan have agreed to reconvene in Washington on 13 January to resolve a dispute over a giant dam project Ethiopia is building on the Nile River, the US Treasury said in a joint statement. Foreign ministers and water ministers from the three African countries held talks with US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and World Bank President David Malpass in Washington on Monday to iron out differences over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD). Following the talks, the officials said that progress had been made in earlier meetings held between the water ministers of the three countries in Cairo and Addis Ababa, according to the statement. The meetings were part of a roadmap agreed upon during talks last month in Washington that set a 15 January target for resolving the dispute. Two more technical meetings are scheduled to take place in the presence of World Bank and US observers in coming weeks focused on drawing up technical rules and guidelines for the filling and operation of the dam. "The Ministers agreed that the strategic direction of the next two technical meetings should be the development of technical rules and guidelines for the filling and operation of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), the definition of drought conditions, and drought mitigation measures to be taken", the statement said. The talks will also work on water release rates from the dam’s reservoir, it added. “The implementation of these technical rules and guidelines for the filling and operation of the GERD will be undertaken by Ethiopia, and may be adjusted by the three countries, in accordance with the hydrological conditions in the given year,” the joint statement said. Cairo fears the massive $4 billion upstream project on Ethiopia s section of the river would drastically cut its water supply from the Nile, which provides 90 percent of Egypt s drinking water. Ethiopia says the hydroelectric dam, which is about 70 percent complete, is central to its economic development and its plan to be a regional power hub. The foreign ministers will reconvene in Washington on 13 January to review the results of the upcoming technical meetings, which will be held in Khartoum and Addis Ababa, the statement said.

Egypt s Sharm El-Sheikh International Airport has topped the list of the fastest-growing major airports in Africa by capacity, a new study by Routesonline has found, as airlines continue to return to the Egyptian Red Sea resort. The latest figures revealed that the airport, which is the third busiest in Egypt, has increased its capacity by 28.9 percent in 2019 to 1.49 million available departure seats, compared to 1.16 million departure seats in 2018. Number three on the top 10 list is Hurghada airport, which recorded a growth rate of 11.9 percent in 2019. At number two is the international airport in Marrakech, western Morocco. A total of 3.91 million departure seats are on offer this year at Marrakech airport, with a rise of 22.6 percent from the previous 12 months, the study said. Sharm El-Sheikh International Airport’s growth comes as the destination continues to recover from the slump in tourism that followed the crash of Metrojet flight 9268 in the Sinai desert after take-off from Sharm El-Sheikh airport on 31 October 2015. All 224 passengers and crew on the charter flight to St Petersburg died, according to the study. Since the crash, which was likely caused by a bomb on board the Airbus A321 aircraft, security procedures have been tightened at the Egyptian airport. In October 2019, the UK government lifted its four-year ban on air travel to the Red Sea resort, paving the way for direct air services to resume. Routesonline is focused entirely on aviation route development and the company s portfolio includes events, media and online businesses. The company organises and operates world-renowned airline and airport networking events through its regional and World Route Development Forums. They are held in key markets throughout the year in Asia, Europe and the Americas. Top 10 fastest-growing airports in Africa by departure seats (2018 vs 2019): Routesonline

The relocation plan to the New Administrative Capital should not be a mere geographic change, rather a plan to build an efficient modern administrative system, President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi said Saturday. El-Sisi was chairing a meeting with Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, Minister of Planning, Monitoring and Administrative Reform Hala El-Saeed and President of the Central Agency for Organization and Administration (CAOA) Saleh El-Sheikh. The meeting tackled the latest developments in implementing an executive plan to relocate ministries and government bodies to the new capital, Presidential Spokesman Bassam Rady said. It also addressed the corporate development program and an investment plan related to the government relocation project, Rady added. The move must live up to citizens expectations, El-Sisi said during the meetings, noting that it will help attain the state s development goals. It is also envisioned to represent a quantum leap in the future of administrative work, the president said. El-Saeed briefed the president on the ministry s efforts to count and update the job files of public servants to select those who are well qualified for relocation. She also reviewed the ministry s plans to improve the efficiency of relocated cadres, the spokesman noted. The 700 square kilometre capital, launched in 2015 by President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi, will house more than 6.5 million people. The first phase of the New Administrative Capital comprises a government district, residential neighbourhoods, and a business district. The government is planning to relocate ministries to the new capital by mid-2020.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry and his French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian criticized on Wednesday two memoranda of understanding (MoU) signed last week between Libya’s National Accord Government and Turkey delimiting maritime borders in the Mediterranean and covering military and security cooperation between both sides. In a phone call between them, the two top diplomats said the deals contravene international law and a UN arms embargo on Libya. They both stressed the importance of reaching a comprehensive political settlement for the Libyan crisis, supporting the Libyan state’s institutions and elected parliament and helping Libya in its efforts to eradicate terrorism, end the military conflict and set the stage for holding free elections. The ministers also discussed Egypt-France cooperation and solid relationship, agreeing on the importance of maintaining consultation and coordination to further promote ties especially in the economic, trade and investment fields. Shoukry offered his condolences to France for the loss of 13 of its soldiers in a tragic helicopter accident in Mali and reviewed with Le Drian the latest developments in the Middle East region and most particularly conditions in Libya. The French minister invited Shoukry to visit France in the next few weeks for more bilateral talks and they both agreed that the visit should take place next month.

Egypt s irrigation ministry has dismissed reports that a joint statement was issued after the end of the final day of trilateral talks on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) in Cairo. “The meetings concluded with an agreement to continue consultations and technical discussions on controversial issues during the third meeting, scheduled to be held in Khartoum on 21-22 December,” the statement read. "The ministry said it is also looking forward to continuing negotiations at the upcoming meeting scheduled in Washington on 9 December, as well as subsequent meetings," the statement added. The two-day Cairo talks discussed the outcomes of the first meeting held in Addis Ababa on 15-16 November, in an attempt to bridge the gaps between Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan and to reach a consensus on the rules of filling and operation of the GERD, according to the statement. The statement added that the Egyptian side aspires to reach a fair agreement, to coordinate between the operation of the GERD and the Aswan High Dam. The Cairo-hosted talks are the second of four rounds of talks being held in accordance with an agreement reached in a US-brokered meeting between the three parties in Washington in November, which saw the attendance of representatives of the US government and the World Bank and aimed to break a deadlock in negotiations. The timeframe for filling and operating the dam is one of the main obstacles in the negotiations. The three countries have tabled different proposals on the duration of filling the GERD’s reservoir. Egypt’s proposal calls for a relatively extended filling period. Ethiopia began building the mega-dam in 2011, in a bid to provide electricity to more than half of its population and to become the continent s biggest power exporter. Egypt, however, fears that the filling the Ethiopian dam will adversely diminish its share of Nile water, which the country depends on.

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi has praised the achievements of the leaders of the United Arab Emirates as the Gulf country celebrates its national day, which marks the 48th anniversary of its founding. "It is a day when the people of the country united with their leadership for a better future for the UAE, full of achievements, progress and prosperity," El-Sisi said on Twitter on Monday. The president was referring to 1971, when the seven gulf emirates united to form the UAE after they gained full independence from Britain. El-Sisi called Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on Monday to express his good wishes for the country, El-Sisi s spokesman Bassam Rady said in a statement. The UAE is one of Egypt s key Arab allies.

Egypt s Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly opened on Monday the 5th Arab Forum on the prospects for nuclear power for electricity generation and seawater desalination, organised by Egypt s Nuclear Power Plant Authority and the Arab Atomic Energy Agency, in cooperation with the Arab League, the Arab Ministerial Council of Electricity and the Arab Union of Electricity. In his opening speech, Madbouly said that nuclear power is one of the strategic choices for achieving sustainable development, and stressed that the forum is a vital event for the Arab region given the increasing interest in the peaceful uses of nuclear power in various fields. "What we are all aware of is the significance of the constant coordination and affirmation of the peaceful use of nuclear power, as evidenced by the high-level representation of various international institutions in the forum," the prime minister said. He asserted that the forum is an opportunity to express support for Arab countries orientation toward the enduring development and the peaceful usage of nuclear power, in addition to achieving communication and discussion between specialists and experts to back decision makers to meet the growing demands on electricity and desalinated water using nuclear power.

Egypt s President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi directed on Saturday the bodies concerned to support the New Administrative Capital with state-of-the-art services, taking into account long-term development purposes. El-Sisi made his directives during a meeting with Chairman of the Armed Forces Engineering Authority Ihab El Far and a number of senior officials from the authority and Presidential Adviser for Urban Planning Amir Sayed Ahmed. The meeting discussed work progress in several under-construction projects undertaken by the authority in the new capital, especially the government district, its central road network and an Islamic cultural center, Presidential Spokesman Bassan Rady said. It also tackled the latest developments in number of national projects in progress nationwide to improve the state s road networks and management of water resources, Rady added. The President underlined the need to observe the projects deadlines. The 700 square kilometre capital, launched in 2015 by President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi, will house more than 6.5 million people. The first phase of the New Administrative Capital comprises a government district, residential neighbourhoods, and a business district. The government is planning to relocate ministries to the new capital by mid-2020.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi named 16 new provincial governors on Wednesday, ahead of an anticipated ministerial reshuffle. Eleven of the 16 new governors held senior security or army roles before their appointment. Wednesday’s appointments include the naming of Giza security chief General Mohamed El-Sherif as governor of Alexandria, a position that has been held by an engineering professor since August 2018. El-Sherif previously served as Alexandria security chief and was in charge of the national security body in the governorate. The new appointments come as a number of Egyptian MPs expect an upcoming cabinet reshuffle that will involve around 10 ministers, including those responsible for health, supply and education. Several incumbent governors have been moved to other governorates, including those appointed in Kafr El-Sheikh, Assiut and Fayoum. Head of the Suez Canal University, Tarek Rashed Rahmy, has been named as governor of Gharbiya and former military officer Sherif Fahmy as Ismailia governor, succeeding another general who resigned a few months ago. General Khaled Shoaib, an advisor to the defense minister who supervised parliament and presidential elections in recent years, was appointed governor of Marsa Matrouh. Many provincial governors of Egypt s 27 governorates usually hail from the army or police. Twenty-three deputy governors were also appointed on Wednesday, according to state TV, many of whom are graduates of a presidential youth program and a new state academy for youth training. Those include appointees in the governorates of Alexandria, Giza and South Sinai.

Egypt has successfully launched its Tiba 1 Satellite from a space centre in French Guiana in South America at 11:22 CLT on Tuesday. Launched by an Ariane 5 rocket, Egypt s first telecommunication satellite was initially scheduled to launch last Friday, but the launch was postponed due to a malfunction in the power supply to the launching platform. It was due to be launched on Monday but then was postponed for a further 24 hours. The head of the Egyptian Space Agency, Mohamed El-Qousy, told the media that the decision to postpone the launch on Monday was due to weather conditions and the wind. The decision to launch the satellite on Tuesday came after intensive meetings between the French company Arianespace and a high-level Egyptian delegation at the launching base in the city of Kourou in French Guiana. The French company briefed the Egyptian delegation on the latest in technical preparations for the launch platform after tests on the operating systems were completed. Tiba 1 will cover all of Egypt and provide telecommunication and internet services to remote and isolated areas. El-Qousy has previously stated that the satellite will be operational within three months of its launch. In a statement issued later on Tuesday, the Egyptian cabinet said that the satellite represents a "cornerstone of the support for development projects." The cabinet hailed the efforts by the consortium of Thales Alenia Space and Airbus Defence, especially the drawing up of an ambitious timetable to build the satellite and overcome several obstacles. "It is the first Egyptian satellite orbital slot position at 35.5° East and aims to improve the telecommunication infrastructure to boost the public and commercial sectors in Egypt and several Arab and Nile basin countries," the statement added. The satellite is a civil and government telecommunication satellite, developed by Thales Alenia Space and Airbus Defence and Space as co-prime contractors, with Thales Alenia Space acting as the consortium’s lead partner. It will be owned and operated by the government of Egypt. Airbus Defence and Space supplied the platform and also assembled and tested the spacecraft. Thales Alenia Space designed and built the communications payload, which will provide broadband communications in ka band. Tiba 1 is the fourth satellite launched by Arianespace for Egypt. It will be deployed by Arianespace into geostationary transfer orbit (GTO), subsequently transitioning to its operational orbital slot position at 35.5° East. Egypt became the first Arab country to put a telecommunications satellite into space with the launch of NileSat 101 in 1998. It was followed in 2000 by Nilesat 102, which helped distribute hundreds of satellite TV channels. In 2007, Egypt launched EgyptSat 1, which became the first Egyptian remote-sensing satellite, and was manufactured in cooperation between Egypt’s National Authority for Remote Sensing and Space Sciences (NARSS) and Ukraine’s Yuzhnoye State Design Office. In February 2019, EgyptSat A, a remote-sensing satellite, was launched from the Russian Baikonur Cosmodrome, a spaceport in Kazakhstan leased to Russia. The satellite replaced the former satellite EgyptSat 2, which was launched in April 2014 and lost in February 2015, and is Egypt’s third remote-sensing satellite.