FIVE MOUs SIGNED DURING MINISTER'S MISSION TO EGYPT

BY JEFFRI MOHD RAFIEE

CAIRO, Oct 8 (Bernama) -- International Trade and Industry Minister Mustapa
Mohamed's three-day trade and investment mission to Egypt saw five memorandum of
understandings (MOUs) being signed to further widen the scope of collaboration
between Malaysia and the African country.

Four were signed after the inaugural Joint Trade and Investment Committee
(JTIC) meeting and witnessed by Mustapa and Egypt's Trade and Industry Minister
Rachid Mohamed Rachid at a hotel here Wednesday.

The MOUs were between the Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation
and the Egyptian Commercial Service on Cooperation in Trade Promotion;
Malaysia's Export-Import Bank and the National Bank of Egypt on General
Cooperation; I-Nai Venture Holdings Sdn Bhd and Al Andalus on collaboration in
the Islamic art and architecture; and Malaysia's Furniture Industry Technology
Centre and Egypt's Industrial Training Council on collaboration in the furniture
industrial training.

The fifth, between AJM Planning and Urban Design Group and Egypt's Housing
Ministry, was signed when Mustapa met Minister Ahmad Maghraby at the ministry
later in the day.

Mustapa told reporters that the MOUs further cement and widen the scope of
relationship between the two countries.

" We enjoy very close political relations and never had there been any
problem between the two countries.

" Before, it was confined to a few areas. Now it's going into ICT, training,
and infrastructure, highway and new township development. These are new areas we
hope we will be able to collaborate in the months ahead.

" This will further enhance bilateral ties between the two brotherly
countries of Malaysia and Egypt," he said.

Ties were a two-way process, he said and added: "Of course, we would like to
get Malaysian companies to be involved in partnership with their brothers in
Egypt in the various programmes and projects you're about to embark."

He said Egypt had experienced good growth in the past few years, so there
were a lot of potential and opportunities for Malaysians to collaborate with
their Egyptian counterparts in this country.

At the same time, Malaysia would like to encourage Egyptian businessmen to
venture into various projects in this country such as in hospitality, tourism
education and agriculture.

" These are some possible areas of collaboration," he said.

As for sharing of expertise, he particularly welcomed the initiative taken
by the Egypt-Malaysia Business Council to hold the Eqypt-Malaysia Business Forum
after the signing of the first four MOUs in conjunction with Mustapa's visit.

Here, he made a courtesy call on Prime Minister Dr Ahmed Mahmoud Mohammed
Nazir and separately met Rachid Mohamed Rachid, the Trade and Industry Minister,
Ahmad Maghraby the Housing Minister, Transport Minister Mohamed Lotfi Mansour,
Higher Education Minister Dr Hany Helal and Investment Minister Dr Mahmoud
Mohieldien.

He is scheduled to call on Health Minister Dr Hatem Mostafa El-Gabaly before
leaving for Jeddah Thursday.
-- BERNAMA