Nile Basin countries reject Egypt demands related to the flow of the Nile
South Korea wants a free trade agreement with Egypt: The Korean government is seeking a free trade agreement Egypt, according to Korean publication DongA Ilbo. The agreement would be Korea’s first with an African country as part of its plans to expand the reach of Korean companies regionally. The Korean ambassador to Egypt told Al Mal he wants the volume of bilateral trade between the two countries to increase to USD 3 bn.
So, that went well, right? We’re re-engaging with the Nile Basin countries, but don’t expect an overnight love-in: After Egypt attended the Nile Council of Ministers held in Entebbe, Ugandan newspaper the Independent reports: “‘We have rejected demands by the Egyptian government to take full control of the Nile’s water,’ said Uganda’s Minister of Water and Environment Sam Cheptoris. ‘The other countries also have a say on how the water is used, as they have growing populations that need to use the water as much as the Egyptians.’” Ah, domestic posturing. Ugandans: They’re just like us.
USAID’s Jordan boss denied entry to Egypt on technicality? Local media outlets are widely reporting Cairo Airport’s decision to bar Sean Osner, a director at USAID Jordan, from entering Egypt yesterday. Al Masry Al Youm says Osner arrived to Egypt with a diplomatic passport but had not obtained an entry visa. Osner was flown back to Jordan.
The Electricity Minister signed a EUR 115 mn facility with the European Investment Bank to fund a wind power plant in the Gulf of Suez, according to an Investment and International Cooperation Ministry statement. The Agence Française de Développement, the EU, and German Development Agency GIZ are contributing a further EUR 345 mn. The EIB will sign a EUR 500 mn contract with Banque Misr to support SMEs, EIB Director for Neighbouring Countries Heinz Olbers said, without giving a date.
The Agadir Agreement’s foreign ministers committee approved requests from Lebanon and Palestine to join the pact, Sky News Arabia reports. Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, and Tunisia signed the trade agreement in 2004.