Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry received on Monday Uruguayan Minister of Foreign Relations Rodolfo Nin Novoa, who is paying a visit to Egypt as part of a Middle East tour that takes him also to the Palestinian territories and Israel.

It is the first by a Uruguayan foreign minister to Egypt in 13 years.

Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid said the meeting tackled regional and international issues of mutual concern, including conditions in the Palestinian territories, as well as the crises in Syria, Yemen and Iraq. 

The visit also aims at promoting relations between the two countries in the fields of trade and investment, said Abu Zeid, pointing out that Shoukry appreciated the Uruguayan participation in the multi-national force in Sinai. They also discussed means to achieve peace between the Palestinians and Israel.

The Uruguayan minister's visit to Cairo will include meetings with Egyptian senior officials and cooperation between Egypt and the MERCOSUR (the Common Market of the Southern Cone) countries.

MERCOSUR is a sub-regional bloc that gathers Argentina, Brasil, Paraguay, Venezuela, and Uruguay as full members, Bolivia, Chile, Peru, Colombia, Ecuador and Suriname as associate countries, as well as New Zealand and Mexico as observer countries.

At the end of the meeting, the two ministers signed an agreement to facilitate customs measures with the aim of promoting trade and economic development between the two countries.

Source: MENA