Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry praised on Thursday the deeply-rooted and multifaceted relations binding Egypt with the European Union (EU).

Shoukry made the remarks during a meeting with EU ambassadors accredited in the Middle East and North Africa region and those in charge of Mideast and North Africa files at the EU's foreign service. The meeting was held on the sidelines of their presence in Cairo for their annual conference.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid said the meeting comes as part of Shoukry's keenness on consulting with European partners over a host of issues of mutual concern and expounding Egypt's efforts to enhance stability, boost peace and settle Middle East crises.

The meeting tackled ways of boosting Egypt-EU relations in the domains of trade, investment, energy, food security, climate change, counterterrorism, education and scientific cooperation either at the bilateral level or through coordination with European groupings like the Anna Lindh Euro-Mediterranean Foundation for the Dialogue Between Cultures and the Union for the Mediterranean.

The two sides exchanged viewpoints towards a number of issues, including the ongoing Russian-Ukrainian conflict, developments in the Palestinian territories, the situation in Libya, fighting illegal migration and the Ethiopian dam file. 

MENA