Efforts to promote trade, business with Egypt

Two important business events will take place in Cairo next week as part of the Maltese Foreign Ministry's drive to provide interested Maltese companies, businessmen and organisations with the opportunity to network with business persons from Egypt and the Maltese honorary consuls in the region.

Foreign Minister Michael Frendo will be in Cairo for these events and will be accompanied by a number of officials from his Ministry and from the business community in Malta, including officials from Malta Enterprise and the Bank of Valletta, which has a representative office in Cairo.

The Maltese Embassy in Cairo has been liaising with the Egyptian Businessmen's Association for a "Malta Day" to be held on May 9 at the association's headquarters. Egyptian officials of the association and selected members of its business community and the Egyptian press will be invited to follow presentations on Malta and its business environment, banking and financial services in Malta, Malta's tourist industry and promising fields of co-operation between Malta and Egypt such as information and communications technology.

The event will also include a success story by representatives of a Maltese company which has for years been doing business in Egypt. Likewise, the Maltese officials and representatives of a number of Maltese companies going to Cairo for the occasion will hear presentations from the Egyptian side as to the new business opportunities the country is offering and economic reforms that are taking place to boost trade and investment.

Malta's honorary consuls in Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel and Turkey will be travelling to Cairo for a two-day event on May 10 and 11 at the Four Seasons Nile Plaza Hotel. The honorary consuls will give an overview of their own experience as Malta's honorary consuls and hear presentations on general expectations by Malta's Foreign Ministry of their task as the island's honorary consuls. There will also be presentations on Malta as a transhipment hub in the centre of the Mediterranean, on the Malta Stock Exchange and on EU customs/ border procedures.

Dr Frendo, will be addressing both events in Cairo and will attend a reception hosted by the Maltese Embassy for the Maltese business delegation and honorary consuls. One-to-one meetings between business people from both countries are being organised.