At the end of the 14th session of the Tunisian-Egyptian higher joint committee, the Prime Minister Mohamed Ghannouchi and his Egyptian counterpart Ahmed Nadhif held a joint news conference in Cairo.
Addressing Egyptian and Arab journalists, PM Mohamed Ghannouchi expressed satisfaction at the fruitful and constructive dialogue that characterized this session works and testified to the development of the close bilateral relations based on mutual trust and respect between the leaders of both countries and the two brotherly peoples.
This positive climate that prevailed during the session works, he said, did also reaffirm both countries' will to strengthen economic relations , notably in the fields of investment and trade exchanges, the final aim being to make these relations meet the excellent political relations between the two countries.
The Prime Minister voiced satisfaction as well at the success of both sides in identifying new fields of cooperation in sectors that have the benefit of presidential incentives and meet the two markets' needs, in such a way as to favour complementarity between the two countries on the basis of the existing legal framework. He quoted in this regard the Arab Mediterranean free trade agreement of Agadir which allowed to lay the foundations of a free trade zone between the Arab countries that concluded association accords with the European Union. Besides, the PM said he is convinced that the process of bilateral cooperation will record, in the stage to come, a quantum leap on the way of boosting economic relations in different fields, so as to meet mutual aspirations for further progress and development.
He also voiced satisfaction at the care of Tunisia and Egypt for the principles of arab joint action and their commitment to promote this action, revive its mechanisms and establish arab relations on strong bases in order to take up the challenges arising from regional and international economic groupings.
As to Egyptian premier Ahmed Nadhif , he affirmed that this session had reaffirmed the two brotherly states' convergent views over the various political and economic issues and regional and international issues of mutual interest, stressing the political will of both countries' leaders to overcome obstacles, smooth out the difficulties that could hinder the achievement of the complementarity targeted and advisedly take advantage of the opportunities provided and the energies available in the two countries.
The efforts, he said, will focus in the next stage, on increasing trade exchanges through easing the free flow of goods between the two countries by land, sea or air channels and reinforcing the role of businessmen in developing trade and investment in both ways.
He voiced hope that the agreements and memorandums of understanding concluded between the two countries will be implemented with due efficiency in order to give the necessary boost to bilateral cooperation, in accordance with the political will of President Mohamed Hosni Mubarak and his brother president Ben Ali.
The Prime minister, Mohamed Ghannouchi presided, at the Egyptian opera house, over a ceremony during which he honored 12 Egyptian leading figures chosen by the Tunisia-Egypt friendship society and the Tunisian Egyptian business council, handing them over the medal of the 14th session of the higher joint committee for their active contribution to the development of bilateral relations.
This ceremony was attended by the Tunisian delegation escorting the prime minister, Tunisia's ambassador in Cairo, several Tunisian expatriate executives living in Egypt and working for international and regional organizations and economic enterprises as well as representatives of the Tunisian community in Egypt.
© Tunisia Online News 2010
