Sapic receives El Gebaly

BELGRADE - Belgrade Mayor Aleksandar Sapic received the Speaker of the Egyptian House of Representatives Hanafy El Gebaly at the Old Palace on Friday.

The parties highlighted a plan to sign a Serbia-Egypt FTA by the end of the year and said the move would bring great benefits to both Cairo and Belgrade as economic, political and tourism industry hubs of the two countries, the press service of the Belgrade city authorities said in a statement.

An Egyptian delegation headed by El Gebaly has held numerous bilateral meetings during an official visit to Serbia.

El Gebaly and Sapic discussed ways to strengthen economic and political cooperation, as well as potentials for investing in Serbia and Belgrade.

They agreed that Serbia-Egypt political ties were traditionally good and friendly and constituted a partnership, and noted that Belgrade and Cairo had been the founders and pillars of the Non-Aligned Movement during the Cold War.

They pointed out last year's historic visit to Serbia by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, the first by an Egyptian head of state in three and a half decades.

During the visit, a joint declaration on establishing a strategic partnership between Serbia and Egypt was adopted and thirteen other major agreements were signed to develop bilateral cooperation, the statement said.

It also said the 115th anniversary of Serbia-Egypt diplomatic ties would be commemorated this year with a series of official meetings and cultural events in both countries, as part of an Egyptian Culture Week in Serbia and a Serbian Culture Week in Egypt.