Moscow: Minister of Foreign Affairs, Emigration and Egyptian Expatriates Badr Abdelatty underlined the importance of cooperation and integration over the Nile River to achieve mutual benefit and shared interests. Abdelatty made the remarks on Sunday December 21st, 2025, during a meeting with Rwanda’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Olivier Nduhungirehe on the sidelines of the Russian-African ministerial forum.
According to State Information Service Egypt, Abdelatty emphasized the need to uphold a spirit of consensus and fraternity among southern Nile Basin states to restore inclusivity within the Nile Basin Initiative and to reject unilateral measures in the eastern Nile Basin. He welcomed steps taken under the consultative process endorsed by the Nile Basin Initiative’s ministerial council to restore inclusivity and consensus, aiming to implement development projects aligned with international law to safeguard the interests of all Nile Basin countries.
The top diplomat expressed Cairo’s intent to build on the positive outcomes from Rwandan President Paul Kagame’s visit to Egypt, which demonstrated the depth of mutual respect between the two nations. Egypt aims to expand cooperation across various sectors including water resources management, agriculture, health, infrastructure, and communications. Abdelatty emphasized the importance of building on the outcomes of the first business forum and preparing for reciprocal visits in priority sectors to boost trade and investment.
Abdelatty reaffirmed Egypt’s readiness to host the third meeting of the permanent joint committee, highlighting interest in activating a logistics zone in Rwanda to establish factories and warehouses for Egyptian products. He also highlighted Egypt’s commitment to completing the Egypt-Rwanda Heart Centre, aiming to position Rwanda as a medical hub in East and Central Africa. The minister called for accelerating fundraising and mobilizing necessary financing for the center’s inauguration, noting that the first batch of medical equipment has already been procured.
Egypt is keen to respond to Rwanda’s needs in capacity-building and expertise-sharing through training programs offered by the Egyptian Agency of Partnership for Development, particularly in sectors like defence, agriculture, and cybersecurity. Abdelatty noted that Egyptian experts in rice cultivation and irrigation have been dispatched at Rwanda’s request.
He underscored the importance of coordination on African issues, especially regarding the institutional reform of the African Union, advocating for a methodical, gradual, and inclusive process involving all member states. The two ministers also discussed promoting stability and security across Africa, the situation in the Great Lakes region, and eastern Congo.
Abdelatty welcomed the signing of the Washington Agreement, emphasizing its full implementation as a framework for confidence-building. He reiterated Egypt’s support for peace efforts to enable comprehensive development in the region and expressed readiness to collaborate with partners to ensure the agreement’s sustainability. Rwanda’s foreign minister praised the relations with Egypt, expressing a desire to further strengthen cooperation and anticipation for a visit by Egypt’s president next year to inaugurate the heart center, highlighting the humanitarian and development partnership between the two countries.