National Assembly member and former Minister of Justice Park Beom-gye visited Egypt from September 29 to October 2 as a special envoy of the President to mark the 30th anniversary of the establishment of Korea-Egypt diplomatic relations. During his visit, special envoy Park paid a courtesy call on President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi; held meetings with major figures of the Egyptian government and parliament, including Minister of Foreign Affairs, Emigration and Egyptian Expatriates Badr Abdelatty; and attended events such as the ceremony held to commemorate the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations.

On September 30, special envoy Park paid a courtesy call on President El-Sisi and delivered President Lee Jae Myung’s letter conveying congratulations on the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations and an intention to strengthen substantive cooperation between the two countries. Special envoy Park expressed pleasure over his timely visit to Egypt as the President’s special envoy following the new Korean government’s inauguration and on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries. Noting that the new Korean government places a high priority on the defense industry and artificial intelligence (AI), he proposed that the two countries advance cooperation by expanding its scope beyond areas such as manufacturing, infrastructure and culture to include the defense industry, AI and renewable energy.

President El-Sisi said he was deeply impressed by the peaceful process through which the Korean people restored democracy early this year and sincerely congratulated Korea on the launch of the People’s Sovereignty Government. He added that since his 2016 visit to Korea, he has been deeply impressed by Korea’s development and regards Korea as a very important partner. On that note, he expressed a desire to expand cooperation with Korea in investment and its technologically advanced defense industry. President El-Sisi emphasized that cooperation between Egypt and Korea based on a nexus between the former’s geographical advantages and abundant free trade agreement networks and the latter’s cutting-edge technology would produce great synergies. He went on to mention that he would actively provide necessary support to Korean companies wishing to enter the Egyptian market.

Special envoy Park, while praising Egypt’s efforts for stability and peace in the Middle East, asked for the country’s special support and cooperation on the issue of the Korean Peninsula. In response, President El-Sisi highly commended the Korean government’s efforts to ease tensions and build trust between the two Koreas, saying that these efforts are in the right direction for peace on the Korean Peninsula. He added that Egypt supports Korea’s efforts to establish peace on the Peninsula and is willing to perform a necessary role to that end.

Special envoy Park also met with Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty on September 30 and House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Karim Abdel Darwish and Suez Canal Authority Chairman Osama Mounier Rabie on October 1 to discuss ways to bolster practical cooperation between the two countries and to explain the foreign-policy direction of the new Korean government.

Minister Abdelatty conveyed pleasure over continuing high-level exchanges between the two countries that mark the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations, as demonstrated by the Korea-Egypt Foreign Ministers’ Meeting held on September 26 on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session, and the visit of the President’s special envoy to Egypt. He emphasized that Korea and Egypt are mutually beneficial, optimal partners, as the former has excellent technological capabilities in manufacturing, infrastructure, the defense industry and AI, while the latter has a high proportion of young people. Minister Abdelatty also expressed appreciation for the Korean government’s work as President of the UN Security Council in September, saying that it successfully performed its Security Council Presidency.

House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Karim Abdel Darwish said that the two countries are enhancing mutual understanding and friendly relations through active exchanges at the parliamentary level, adding that the Egyptian parliament will continue to take an interest in and support the development of cooperative relations with Korea. Suez Canal Authority Chairman Osama Mounier Rabie warmly welcomed the visit of the special envoy and personally gave a tour around the Suez Canal, saying that, the Suez Canal being the global logistics hub, Egypt can cooperate with Korea, a technology powerhouse, in the shipbuilding sector.

Furthermore, special envoy Park attended a Korea-Egypt Economic Conference and the 30th-anniversary ceremony held on September 30 and October 1, respectively, to commemorate the 30th anniversary of Korea-Egypt diplomatic relations. At these events, he delivered congratulatory remarks conveying a message for the development of bilateral relations. At the invitation of the Egyptian side, he toured the Grand Egyptian Museum on September 29 and delivered President Lee’s message congratulating the museum’s opening. In addition, special envoy Park held a meeting with Korean residents and representatives of Korean companies in Egypt and listened to their difficulties. At the meetings with the Egyptian officials, he asked them to provide support to Korean companies and compatriots in the country.

This dispatch of the special presidential envoy to Egypt marked the new government’s first to the Africa-Middle East region. It is assessed to have served as an opportunity to not only strengthen positive momentum for the development of relations between Korea and Egypt as comprehensive cooperative partners on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations but also show the resilience of Korea’s democracy to the top officials of the Egyptian government and parliament and explain the Korean government’s governing philosophy and foreign-policy direction.