Egypt is establishing a diplomatic mission to NATO and said it will appoint an ambassador to the military alliance that aims to strengthen cooperation and partnership between NATO and the north African country.
In this context, a top official diplomatic source said that Egypt’s decision to establish a diplomatic mission to NATO came for various reasons, particularly the Libyan crisis.
In addition, NATO will grant Egypt many privileges, most notably providing Egypt’s Naval Forces with new weapons and equipment to counter the illegal migration, discuss the Egyptian view towards the Libyan crisis and secure the European coasts with Egypt’s assistance.
Accordingly, a NATO diplomatic source said that the Belgian Embassy to Egypt will act as a point of liaison for NATO.
He added that the move came as part of partnership with Egypt noting that the Belgian Embassy to Egypt became NATO representative and will act as a point of contact between the Egyptian authorities and NATO.
The source further said that having a point of contact in Egypt will contribute to boosting cooperation with Egypt and increasing activities.
In fact, security partnership between Egypt and the EU has been traced recently.
Excessive activities have been held recently between Egypt and the NATO to discuss security issues in the region, illegal migration and the Libyan crisis.
On the sidelines of the EU’s Foreign Affairs Council, FM Sameh Shoukry held talks with NATO secretary general Jens Stoltenberg in Brussels, where they touched on various security challenges threatening the region.
During the meeting, Stoltenberg listened to the Egyptian vision about the crises in the region, particularly Egyptian efforts to bring stability and peace to Libya.
The meeting also touched on the role of NATO to combat illegal migration in the Mediterranean area, and the efforts to combat terrorism in Egypt and the region.
He also reviewed various aspects of the Egyptian vision concerning the issue of combating terrorism, pointing out the importance of fighting against extremist ideology and drying up the sources of financial and logistical support for terrorist organizations.
Both parties also expressed their desire to strengthen and develop their relations and work together to address security challenges in the region.
In a press conference, Stoltenberg also stated that NATO is working with Egypt in different ways, “We have for instance deployed our mobile training team to Egypt, we are working with Egypt to increase interoperability and, and of course when I met with the Foreign Minister we also discussed the situation in Libya.”
He added,”And of course, Egypt being so close, a key nation, we, I, expressed from the NATO side that we are ready to help build structures, defense institutions in Libya, but we also strongly support a UN-led effort to try to find a negotiated political solution.”
“So, the political dialogue is an important part of the partnership and the political dialogue will be strengthened by the new Egyptian diplomatic mission to NATO.”
In the same context, Egypt’s army chief-of-staff, General Mahmoud Hegazi, met with General Petr Pavel, the chairman of NATO military committee in Cairo to discuss the latest regional developments, the Egyptian armed forces announced.
It is worth to mention that the Egyptian chief-of-staff is currently on head of the Egyptian commission mediating between rival Libyan factions. In the last months, Cairo hosted several talks between rival political powers in the war-torn country.
Moreover, the two military commanders also discussed the latest developments in the war on terrorism and coordination and cooperation in that field.
In this context, General Pavel expressed his appreciation for the Egyptian role and efforts in fighting radicalism and terrorism, stressing NATO’s complete support for those efforts to achieve security and stability in the Middle East, according to the statement.
The meeting between Pavel and Hegazi was attended by a number of Egyptian armed forces commanders.
