Cairo: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Emigration and Egyptian Expatriates hosted a round of political consultations between Egypt and Azerbaijan, chaired by Ambassador Wael Hamed, the Assistant Foreign Minister for European Affairs, and Yalchin Rafiyev, the Deputy Foreign Minister of the Republic of Azerbaijan. The consultations come within the framework of mutual interest in strengthening bilateral relations.According to State Information Service Egypt, the talks addressed ways to enhance cooperation between the two countries across various fields, particularly in increasing the volume of trade and investment, and cooperation in transportation, electric and renewable energy, railways, technology, pharmaceuticals, energy, knowledge exchange, as well as construction and infrastructure projects.In this context, the Assistant Foreign Minister for European Affairs highlighted Egypt's favorable environment for foreign investment, in light of investment incentives and the competitive advantages of Egypt's bus iness climate. He also pointed to incentives offered in the Suez Canal Economic Zone. Both sides agreed on a set of executive steps to enhance relations in several areas, and reviewed the contractual status of a number of draft agreements currently under negotiation between the two countries.The consultation session also included an exchange of views on several regional and international issues of mutual interest, particularly in light of the current developments in the Middle East. The Assistant Foreign Minister outlined Egypt's role in addressing the situation in Gaza and briefed the Azerbaijani side on the key elements of Egypt's stance regarding developments in Libya, Sudan, the Sahel and Sahara region, and the Horn of Africa.The two sides also discussed several international issues such as the Ukraine crisis and its repercussions on the global economy. The consultations reflected a convergence in the Egyptian and Azerbaijani positions on many regional and international issues. The Azerbaijani side pr aised Egypt's pivotal role in various issues, which contributes directly to maintaining regional stability. The Assistant Foreign Minister also commended the tangible progress in the peace process between Azerbaijan and Armenia, particularly the peace agreement reached between the two countries last August.At the conclusion of the consultation session, both sides agreed to continue high-level exchanges of visits between officials in the coming period, with the aim of implementing what was agreed upon during consultations and further strengthening bilateral relations between Egypt and Azerbaijan, as well as maintaining ongoing coordination on regional and international issues.