Cairo, August 20 (QNA) - Their Excellencies Egyptian Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade Dr. Mohamed Farid Saleh and Egyptian Minister of Finance Ahmed Kouchouk said relations between their country and the State of Qatar have opened new horizons for bilateral cooperation, paving the way for long-term investments and increased trade and tourism between the two countries.
  Speaking to Qatar News Agency (QNA) on the sidelines of the seventh session of the Qatar-Egypt Joint Higher Committee, held today in Alamein under the chairmanship of HE Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani and Egyptian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Emigration and Expatriates Dr. Badr Abdelatty, Dr. Mohamed Farid Saleh stressed the importance of the agreements and memoranda of understanding concluded during the committee's meetings.
These included efforts to establish a joint committee for economic, trade and investment cooperation, as well as Qatar's participation in investment opportunities in Africa in cooperation with Egyptian companies and the Sovereign Fund of Egypt.
 He noted that the meeting also discussed industrial investment cooperation, including Qatari investment in Egypt through the industrial investment sub-fund of the Sovereign Fund of Egypt. He welcomed the recent Qatari investment in the Ras El Hekma area, saying it would further enhance the area's importance in attracting tourism to Egypt's North Coast and the country as a whole.
HE the Egyptian Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade also said the two sides discussed sectors targeted for growth in the Egyptian economy, as well as cooperation between financial and business centers in Egypt and their counterparts in Qatar.
He expressed optimism about the future of bilateral cooperation, saying it would lead to long-term investments and increased trade and tourism between the two countries.
For his part, HE Egyptian Minister of Finance Ahmed Kouchouk told QNA that the committee's seventh session addressed a wide range of investment and industrial issues, providing an opportunity to strengthen bilateral coordination, as well as coordination on regional issues, within the framework of the ongoing cooperation between the two countries across various fields.
  In this context, he highlighted the signing of an agreement with Qatar's Ministry of Finance on cooperation and coordination in areas related to customs policies, the exchange of expertise, and full digital exchange.
He said the agreement would enable the two sides to exchange the information required on transactions and new customs policies, contributing to greater efficiency in customs cooperation between the two countries.
  Concluding his remarks to QNA, HE the Egyptian Minister of Finance said the cooperation aims to reduce costs and accelerate the procedures for exchanging and documenting information and documents in real time, thereby supporting the smooth flow of trade between the two countries. (QNA)