Cairo, Washington to Boost Cooperation in Climate Issues

Arab World

May 1st, 6:59am

Cairo - Asharq Al-Awsat

Rania Al-Mashat, Egyptian Minister of International Cooperation, meets with David Thorne, Advisor to the US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry, in Washington. (Egyptian government)

Cairo and Washington discussed on Saturday joint cooperation in fighting climate change as part of Egypt’s hosting of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP27) in Sharm el-Sheikh in November. In Washington, Rania Al-Mashat, Egyptian Minister of International Cooperation, met with David Thorne, Advisor to the US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry, to discuss promising investment opportunities in the Egyptian economy, especially regarding renewable energy. Mashat said the talks are in line with President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s decision to increase the volume of energy generated by renewable sources to cover 42 percent of the country’s needs by 2035. A statement from the cabinet said Mashat and Thorne also discussed how to benefit from the visit of the delegation of the American Chamber of Commerce in Egypt and the Egyptian American Business Council to the US. “The two sides also tackled joint cooperation opportunities between Egypt and the US to prepare for a program that increases cooperation between the two countries in climate action, contributing to Egypt’s hosting of the COP27 climate summit, in light of the formation of a joint Egyptian-American climate working group,” the statement added. Mashat had mentioned the preparations taken by the Egyptian government to organize COP27 while attending the Meridian International Center in Washington to celebrate 100 years of Egypt’s strategic partnership with the US. “We will work together to private sector investments in key sectors including green and tech,” she stressed. Meanwhile, Environment Minister Yasmine Fouad held a meeting Saturday with Ambassador of the Czech Republic to Egypt Jan Fulik to discuss preparations for COP27. Fouad stressed deeply-rooted relations between Egypt and the Czech Republic, welcoming cooperation between the two countries in the fields of climate change and environment. She expressed hope that the COP27 conference would provide an opportunity to build on the outcomes of the COP26 conference, held in Glasgow last year. For his part, Fulík said the Czech environment minister is seeking to visit Egypt soon to discuss environment-related issues.

from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/3622131/cairo-washington-boost-cooperation-climate-issues