Pakistan, Egypt close ranks on trade, defence and Gaza

Visiting FM Dr Abdelatty holds extensive talks in Islamabad

ISLAMABAD:

Pakistan and Egypt on Sunday agreed on a series of key decisions to strengthen economic cooperation, expand defence ties, and coordinate closely on the evolving Gaza peace efforts. Those were the outcomes that emerged during the two-day official visit of Egypt's Foreign Minister Dr Badr Abdelatty to Islamabad.

Dr Abdelatty, who visited Islamabad on November 29-30 at the invitation of Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Ishaq Dar, held wide-ranging talks that officials described as "substantive, forward-looking, and strategically relevant" given the rapidly shifting Middle East environment.

During delegation-level discussions at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, both sides reviewed the full spectrum of relations. including political, economic, defence, cultural, and educational. The highlight of the talks, however, was a renewed push to activate dormant institutional mechanisms and build a structured roadmap for economic and private-sector engagement.

A major deliverable of the visit was the decision to facilitate visa access for Pakistani businesses, starting with 250 business houses in the first phase and expanding to 500 in the second. In parallel, both sides agreed to establish the Pakistan-Egypt Business Council as well as the Pakistan-Egypt Business Forum, which will convene in the second quarter of 2026 alongside the bilateral Joint Ministerial Commission.

Officials said the goal is to institutionalise B2B linkages, increase investments, and tap the untapped trade potential between the two countries, particularly in textiles, agriculture, food products, and pharmaceuticals. Dr Abdelatty also announced that Al-Azhar University would double scholarships for Pakistani students, marking a significant boost in educational cooperation.

In a sign of deepening strategic engagement, the Egyptian foreign minister held a meeting with Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir at the GHQ. Discussions focused on defence cooperation, training, military exchanges, and regional stability. Both sides reaffirmed that the armed forces of Pakistan and Egypt would maintain close high-level engagement.

Officials noted that the defence component of the visit was particularly important given Egypt's increasing regional security role and Pakistan's historic defence cooperation with Cairo. The timing of the visit carried added significance amid the ongoing Gaza peace plan efforts, where both Pakistan and Egypt have emerged as important diplomatic players.

Pakistan appreciated Egypt's "pivotal humanitarian and diplomatic role" including its shuttle diplomacy, management of the Rafah crossing, and efforts toward ceasefire arrangements.

Pakistan and Egypt are part of the Arab-Islamic countries, which backed President Trump's Gaza peace plan. Egypt will be acting as a focal player for the proposed International Stabalisation Force (ISF) for Gaza. Pakistan could potentially part of the force but it made clear that Islamabad would not join any effort to disarm Hamas.

Both foreign ministers reiterated their support for the establishment of an independent, sovereign Palestinian state based on pre-1967 borders with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.

Diplomatic sources said that with Egypt working on mediation formulae and Pakistan pushing for multilateral humanitarian mechanisms, the two countries are now aligning positions more closely than before.

Dr Abdelatty also met President Asif Ali Zardari, who praised the historic relationship between the two countries and expressed Pakistan's desire to elevate ties across all domains. The president highlighted Egypt's leadership amid regional uncertainty and stressed the need for continued coordination on humanitarian issues, particularly Gaza.

The Egyptian foreign minister also interacted with leading members of Pakistan's business community, underlining investment opportunities and inviting Pakistani enterprises to explore Egypt's expanding markets.

Officials in Islamabad said that the visit helped "reset momentum" in a relationship that had occasionally lagged despite shared history, mutual political goodwill, and converging regional interests.

With agreements on business facilitation, economic roadmaps, defence cooperation, and coordinated diplomatic positions on Gaza, the visit marked one of the most important outcome-driven engagements between the two countries in recent years.

Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to building a partnership oriented toward regional peace, economic resilience, and long-term cooperation.