Diplomacy + Foreign Trade on 24 September 2020
Topping diplomatic coverage this morning: Fourteen new ambassadors — including from Israel, Sudan, and Ethiopia — are now officially accredited in Egypt after presenting their credentials to President Abdel Fattah El Sisi yesterday, Ittihadiya said. Israel’s Amira Oron — who was tapped for the position in 2018 but only got approval from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier this year — is the first full-time envoy to Cairo in more than 18 months. Meanwhile, the appointment of Markos Tekle Rike, Ethiopia’s new ambassador, and Mohamed Elias Mohamed as Sudan’s new envoy comes as ongoing negotiations over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam remain at an impasse.
Elsewhere on the diplomatic front: President Abdel Fattah El Sisi has been invited to attend the signing in October of a historic peace accord between the Sudanese government and coalition of rebel groups; Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry met with his Jordanian counterpart Ayman Safadi in Amman to discuss Palestine; and Egypt and Italy are discussing establishing a roll on/roll off shipping route for Egyptian agricultural exports heading to Europe.