Egypt’s Foreign Minister lands in S. Sudan on first official trip
Egyptian Foreign Minister Nabil Fahmy, August 20.
Received by South Sudanese Information Minister Michael Makuei, Nabil will meet South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir and give him a letter from his Egyptian counterpart. He will also meet other top government officials and monitor projects supported by Egypt in Juba.
This is my first trip out of Egypt after the new government has been established,” Nabil told reporters in a statement at the Juba International Airport. The decision to come to South Sudan in a first trip is a strategic decision.”
It reflects the importance that we give to our relations and the desire to work together concretely towards projects and policies that serve the interest of both countries,” Nabil said.
South Sudan and Egypt have long had good relations, strengthened as they share the Niles’ water. Egypt has numerous projects to support South Sudan in areas of education, health and water.
South Sudanese Information Minister Michael Makuei, August 20.
In his statement, Michael Makuei threw his weight behind Egypt’s interim government, calling it a government of the people”.
On Monday, South Sudanese Foreign Minister Barnaba Marial Benjamin called for Egyptians to use peaceful means in their effort to restore peace.
The online news service Sudan Tribune quoted a South Sudanese diplomat as saying the Egyptian government is seeking South Sudan’s support to reclaim membership at the African Union, after it was suspended following the ouster of its first elected president by the military.
