Excellency, President Abdel Fattah-El Sisi, my brother, friend — I would like to start by thanking you, and your government, for the warm welcome and hospitality we have received in this beautiful country.

The President and I have had very fruitful discussions, and I look forward to continuing to deepen our partnership.

The agreements signed today will build on Rwanda and Egypt’s long-standing and mutually-beneficial relations, across a range of sectors.

The Covid pandemic has reminded us that we are inter-connected, and more than ever before, and that no country can tackle global crises alone. So, cooperation, here, is very important.

Identifying new areas of that cooperation, therefore, is critical to getting our economies back on track, and strengthening our resilience against future shocks.

A good starting point will be to capitalize on the African Continental Free Trade Area, which is now operational.

This will create numerous opportunities, especially for entrepreneurs and young people. Protecting their future is essential for our continent’s sustainable development.

Mr President, I would be remiss not to mention how we still have good memories of a couple of visits you made to our country where we had the opportunity to strengthen our personal and country relations and again, I want to thank you for this invitation to visit and I am looking forward to welcoming you Mr President, anytime in Rwanda, to continue expanding what we have already created and agreed here, today.

I thank you for your kind attention, and very warm hospitality we have all enjoyed. Thank you to you, and to your government, and the people of Egypt.

Thank you very much, Mr President.