In the framework of the fruitful cooperation existing between ECFA and the Foreign Relations Committee of the Egyptian House of Representatives, Ambassador Dr. Mounir Zahran, ECFA Chairman, headed a delegation of ECFA Board of Directors and members in a meeting with Mr. Karim Darwish, Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee of the House of Representatives, and members of the Foreign Relations Committee, on March 30, 2022 at the Parliament headquarters. The delegation of the Board of Directors included Ambassador Hisham El-Zimaity, ECFA Secretary-General, Dr. Hazem Attiatallah, Treasurer, and Ambassador Dr. Hussein Hassouna, and Ambassador Sayed Abo Zayed, in addition to ambassadors Marwan Badr and Salah Halima, ECFA members.

Mr. Karim Darwish welcomed the cooperation and consultation between the Foreign Relations Committee of the House of Representatives and the Egyptian Council for Foreign Affairs, congratulating the Egyptian diplomacy on the 100th anniversary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, expressing the Committee members’ aspiration for continuous consultations between the two sides on various issues of Egypt’s foreign relations. On his part, Ambassador Dr. Mounir Zahran, ECFA Chairman, expressed his delight at cooperating with the Foreign Relations Committee, and reviewed the various fields and activities of the Egyptian Council for Foreign Affairs, referring to the extensive communication network established by the Council since its establishment in 1999, and many important figures in the diplomatic, military and media fields enjoying ECFA membership, as well as businessmen and Egyptian companies interested in cooperating with many countries in Africa and the Arab world. ECFA Chairman also affirmed the Council’s keenness to continue consultation and cooperation with the Foreign Relations Committee of the House of Representatives in the next stage.

Moreover, the meeting discussed many regional and international issues, including Egypt-Africa relations, including Egypt’s relations with Sudan in particular, as well as the Ethiopian Renaissance Dam file and the prospects for its settlement, in addition to Arab affairs, as it was indicated in this regard that the Russian-Ukrainian crisis might be a source of optimism for unifying Arab positions. The meeting also tackled ECFA relations with international organizations and its contributions as a non-governmental organization in some of its activities, and the increasing importance of multilateral diplomacy since the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict and the resort of the major parties to the United Nations General Assembly in several situations in which the Security Council has not been able to take resolutions on them, as well as the situation in Asia against the backdrop of Western attempts to besiege China as a rising power, such as targeting it with human rights files and rejecting the Belt and Road Initiative … etc., besides addressing the direct impact of culture on bilateral relations, including Egyptology and the history of ancient Egypt, as important tools in strengthening Egypt’s relations in the international arena.