Egypt’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Immigration, and Egyptian Expatriates Affairs, Badr Abdelatty, has reiterated Egypt’s commitment to sharing its expertise in countering terrorism with Mali. In a joint press conference with his Malian counterpart, Abdoulaye Diop, Abdelatty outlined Egypt’s successful counterterrorism model, which focuses on security strategies, social and economic initiatives, and the dismantling of extremist ideologies. This model includes creating job opportunities for youth and cutting off the financial support for terrorist organizations.
Abdelatty emphasized the full cooperation between the ministries of defense and interior of both countries, with Egypt providing training and capacity-building programs to enhance Mali’s counterterrorism efforts. The presence of Mali’s Minister of Defense during the visit further underscores the comprehensive nature of the security cooperation between the two nations.
The talks also extended to economic and trade cooperation. Abdelatty highlighted the role of Egyptian companies in supporting Mali’s development, particularly in the energy sector. Egypt plans to assist Mali in generating electricity through new and renewable energy sources to address its energy deficit. Additionally, Egyptian private sector involvement in Mali’s energy sector was discussed.
In the health sector, Abdelatty announced that Egypt, under the directives of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, will provide a grant of medical equipment for the Egyptian wing of the Maternity and Children’s Hospital in Bamako. He also mentioned the possibility of exporting Egyptian pharmaceuticals to Mali, with potential plans for localizing production to meet the growing demand for Egypt’s quality and affordable medicine.
Abdelatty stressed that President El-Sisi’s foreign policy priorities include supporting state institutions across Africa, especially in the Sahel region, where the weakening of these institutions has often led to the rise of non-state actors and terrorist organizations. Egypt is committed to expanding its cooperation with other Sahel nations and has already hosted foreign ministers from Burkina Faso and Niger.
The discussions also covered regional issues, including Mali’s return to the African Union and Egypt’s support for the country’s full participation in the union. Egypt emphasized its continuous support for joint nominations in international forums and reaffirmed its non-negotiable position on water security, a critical issue for Egypt.
Additionally, the two ministers addressed the broader geopolitical situation in the Sahel, including the newly formed confederation of three Sahel countries, and discussed the situations in Sudan, Libya, and other African regions of concern.
