Egypt is an important partner for the European Union
The history has shown that the Finns always act fairly and according to good principles, Foreign Minister of Egypt Ahmed Aboul Gheit pointed out during his first visit to Finland on 14 June.
In the press conference held with Finnish Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja, Aboul Gheit hoped from the Finnish EU Presidency consistent measures for the development of cooperation between the EU and Egypt.
The meeting of Finnish Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja and Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit was a continuation to the troika meeting between the ministers of the European Union and Egypt, organised in Luxembourg the day earlier. In today's bilateral talks the ministers pondered especially the expectations the countries have for the cooperation between the European Union and Egypt with a view to the approaching Finnish EU Presidency.
According to Tuomioja, other issues on the agenda included the Middle East situation, Iran, Iraq, and Sudan. "I really hope that we will continue our cooperation during the Finnish Presidency, just as my colleague already promised. I do not expect that to be an empty promise, since Egypt has been a very important partner in every question we have discussed today."
Rule of law in Egypt a topical issue
In addition to international questions, the discussions also touched on the political development of Egypt. Aboul Gheit reminds that internal problems are not only Egypt's own problems, but they are also a challenge to the European Union. In principle, Tuomioja agrees with Aboul Gheit: "Both the European Union and Egypt have their own internal challenges, but we have a similar desire to make reforms and we share the same basic values," he pointed out.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Aboul Gheit pointed out that he had wanted to come and visit Finland for over a year. A few weeks earlier, his visit had been prepared by the speaker of the Egyptian Parliament, who participated in the celebration of the centennial of the Finnish Parliament on 1-2 June.
Aboul Gheit was satisfied with the negotiations. "The meetings of the last few days have given me a confirmation that the European Union and Egypt understand each other's points of view, and that there is willingness on both sides to cooperate for the development of the Mediterranean region, and for bringing the Middle East crisis under control," he pointed out. "For its own part, Egypt is currently making efforts to bring the Israelis and the Palestinians around the same negotiation table."
As concerns the expectations for the Finnish EU Presidency, Tuomioja advised people to hold on to realistic goals: "Of course, it would be great if we could expect to find solutions to the nuclear dispute of Iran as well as the exacerbated situation in the Middle East. I would still advise you to remain calm and to remember that, in order to reach such goals, the most important thing is to continue persistent dialogue and negotiations."
Common negotiations will shortly continue within the framework of the Barcelona Process. The Foreign Minister of Egypt will be seen in Finland also for a second time, as he announced that he will be participating in the foreign minister meeting of the Barcelona Process on 27-28 November.
