Egypt, South Korea discuss economic partnership agreement, trade cooperation

Updated 12/22/2025 2:50:00 PM

Arab Finance: Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade Hassan El-Khatib held a virtual meeting with Minister of Trade, Industry, and Energy of South Korea Yeo Han-koo to discuss trade and investment relations and ongoing economic cooperation between the two countries, as per a statement.

The discussions covered ways to enhance bilateral trade and investment ties, as well as future steps related to negotiations on an economic partnership agreement intended to support trade exchange and address barriers to investment.

El-Khatib said the South Korean president’s visit to Egypt last November contributed to closer relations between the two countries and encouraged further cooperation across various sectors.

He called for building on recent developments by advancing trade cooperation through defined mechanisms and timelines.

El-Khatib reaffirmed Egypt’s commitment to concluding an economic partnership agreement with South Korea and welcomed the signing of a joint declaration once feasibility studies are completed, consultations with the private sector are finalized, and the required approvals are obtained.

He also highlighted Egypt’s geographic location and ongoing efforts to improve the investment environment, noting that more than 200 South Korean companies are currently operating in the Egyptian market.

El-Khatib added that reactivating the joint trade committee would support trade and investment cooperation between the two sides.

Yoo said that South Korea considers strengthening economic and trade relations with Egypt an important priority.

He noted that his country has started domestic procedures to move forward with the economic partnership agreement, adding that the process has drawn interest from the Korean business community due to its expected impact on trade and investment relations.

The South Korean minister also called for exchanging official delegations and organizing business visits in the coming period.

He proposed holding an Egyptian-Korean business forum to support discussions on the economic partnership agreement and to identify opportunities for expanding bilateral trade and investment.