Egypt participates in the two-day London Somalia Conference on May 11, 2017 with a high-level delegation led by Eng. Sherif Ismail. The conference comes as a cooperation between the British government, the Somali government and the United Nations.

The conference is inaugurated by the British Prime Minister, a number of African heads of state and foreign ministers of some European countries, as well as the President of the African Union and representatives of a number of international organizations, including the United Nations and the European Union.

Objectives of the Conference:

The conference aims to draw the attention of the international community again to the crisis in Somalia and discuss its security and economic situation, risk of dearth caused by drought and humanitarian aid efforts in Somalia.

Participants also discuss the issue of saving Somalia from its $ 5 billion and $ 300 million foreign debt accumulated since the 1970s.

The international community plans to gradually transfer the security services provided by AMISOM to the country's security and military services.

The importance of Egypt's participation

The Egyptian participation in the conference comes on the basis of the role Egypt plays in the African arena in order to strengthen the cooperation with the countries of the continent to serve the common interests, as well as the historical relations between Egypt and Somalia and Egypt's keenness to ensure stability and security in Somalia.

Egypt is also keen on supporting the security and development capabilities in a way that serves the path of development in the right direction, in the light of the current challenges in the region, especially the phenomena of piracy and international terrorism, which are obstacles to reform and development. It is essential to exchange views with all parties of the international community to unite views and positions on issues of common interest.