Egypt, a key African member state of the BRICS, is reaching out to the Alliance of Sahel States in order to enhance political, economic, and security cooperation. In this regard, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty is on a five-nation tour that has already taken him to Burkina Faso and Niger. He will also visit Mali, to complete his tour of the Confederation of Sahel States, and then Senegal and Nigeria.
Egypt has much to offer these states, including first-class civil engineering capacities. Egypt is currently building a major highway in Chad. It also has strong security and military capacities.
On July 22, Abdelatty was received by Burkina Faso President Captain Ibrahim Traoré, to whom he presented a written message from Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. He reiterated Egypt’s support for the Alliance of Sahel States, and the two discussed topics including investment, trade, security, and counter-terrorism. “We will continue to provide them with all types of assistance and are open to any form of cooperation with Burkina Faso and the sister countries of the ESA,” he said. Abdelatty also met with Burkinabe Foreign Minister Karamoko Jean-Marie Traoré.
As part of the visit, Abdelatty and Traoré jointly inaugurated the Egypt-Burkina Faso Business Forum, which brought together 30 business leaders and representatives from leading Egyptian companies, the Egypt Independent reports.
