Bilateral political consultations between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria and Egypt
24 April 2025 News
On 22 April 2025, the latest round of bilateral political consultations between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria and Egypt was held in Cairo. The consultations were led on the Bulgarian side by Deputy Minister Maria Angelieva, and on the Egyptian side by Mr. Wael Hamed, Deputy Minister for European Affairs.
The political consultations between the two countries took place following a nearly five-year hiatus, in a context of demonstrated mutual interest in strengthening bilateral relations, revitalising political dialogue, and exploring additional opportunities for sustainable expansion of trade and economic cooperation.
During the talks, both sides reviewed the state of bilateral relations across a range of areas, including possibilities for further expanding trade, economic exchange and investment. It was noted with satisfaction that in the past year, bilateral trade reached an unprecedented level of over USD 1.8 billion – a fact that firmly positioned Egypt as Bulgaria's most significant trading partner in the Middle East and Africa region. Opportunities were discussed for Bulgarian companies to gain a foothold in the Egyptian market in sectors such as pharmaceuticals, agricultural products and fertiliser exports, electronic equipment, and others, as well as the broad investment prospects offered by the Egyptian economy. Deputy Minister Maria Angelieva also highlighted several successful Bulgarian investments already realised in Egypt in areas such as the textile and food industries, electric vehicle production, information technology and outsourcing.
Given the tremendous potential of bilateral economic cooperation, both sides acknowledged the need to undertake additional steps to stimulate trade and mutual investment, including holding the second session of the Joint Commission for Economic Cooperation and establishing a Bulgarian-Egyptian Business Council by the end of this year.
Within the framework of the consultations, a comprehensive review was made of the bilateral legal framework and the process of finalising a number of agreements, including promising areas such as air and maritime transport, labour and social policy, innovation, electricity and renewable energy, small and medium-sized enterprises, and others.
During the talks, the two sides devoted special attention to the upcoming 100th anniversary in 2026 of the establishment of bilateral diplomatic relations, and the opportunities this milestone presents for further deepening political dialogue at high and highest levels.
The good level of cooperation between the two countries within international organisations and their mutual support for candidatures was also highlighted. In this context, Deputy Minister Angelieva delivered a letter on behalf of Minister Georg Georgiev, addressed to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Immigration and Egyptians Abroad, Badr Abdelatty, expressing Bulgaria’s support for the candidacy of Professor Khaled El-Enany for the post of Director-General of UNESCO.
The consultations also covered a range of current regional issues. Recognising Egypt's key role in ensuring stability and security of the Middle East and North Africa region, particular focus in the discussions was placed on efforts to restore the ceasefire agreement in Gaza and secure the release of hostages held by Hamas, to adequately address the catastrophic humanitarian crisis in Gaza and, importantly, to ensure the successful practical implementation of the Arab Plan for Recovery and Reconstruction of Gaza, adopted by the Arab League and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation. Exchanges of views also took place on the conflicts in Libya, Sudan, Yemen, the Sahel and the Horn of Africa. Matters of critical importance to the global agenda were also discussed, including the latest developments related to Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, prospects for building a qualitatively new global security architecture based on strict adherence to international law, and efforts to safeguard global food security.
Both sides agreed to maintain active exchanges of views on the topics discussed, with further high- and highest-level political visits to be arranged in the near future
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