APA-Abidjan (Cote d’Ivoire) On the second day of his official working visit to Egypt, the Speaker of the Ivorian National Assembly, Adama Bictogo, held talks on Monday with his Egyptian counterpart, Dr Hanafy Ali Gebaly, and the President of the Senate, Abdel-Wahab Abdel-Razek.
Using parliamentary and executive diplomacy to strengthen economic, trade and cultural relations between Egypt and Cote d’Ivoire is the vision that drives the President of the Cote d’Ivoire National Assembly.
According to Bictogo, who is accompanied by a delegation of MPs from across the political divide, the primary objective is to give concrete form to the bilateral relations between the Ivorian National Assembly and the Egyptian Parliament.
Through this parliamentary diplomatic offensive, he also hopes to deepen his knowledge of the challenges facing Egypt and to study the issues linked to the decentralisation project currently underway.
He discussed with them cooperation in the economic, educational and defence fields, as well as the place of young people and women in society, the situation in Gaza and Egypt’s important role in resolving the conflict.
The current chair of the Executive Committee of the African Parliamentary Union (APU), Adama Bictogo, took the opportunity to ask his Egyptian counterpart to allow his country to host the next session of this body in Cairo, scheduled for April or May 2024.
He also reminded the President of the House of Representatives that the 18th Conference of the Union of Parliamentarians of the Member States of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (UPCI) will be held in Cote d’Ivoire from 2 to 5 March 2024.
The conference will focus on climate change and its negative impact on people’s lives.
The Ivorian delegation also had a long discussion with the President of the Egyptian Senate, Abdel-Wahab Abdel-Razek, during which he underlined the excellent relations with Cote d’Ivoire. Bictogo also explained the economic and social challenges facing his country.
With a view to attracting Egyptian investors, Bictogo spoke about the reforms undertaken to improve the business climate and to encourage foreign companies to participate in the development of infrastructure, but also in the fields of sanitation, agricultural irrigation, health, industry, energy and transport.
The Ivorian delegation includes several members of parliament: Kacou Guikahué Maurice, Vice-President of the National Assembly (PDCI, opposition), Oulaye Hubert, President of theopposition PPA-CI parliamentary group (Laurent Gbagbo’s party).
Also present were Famoussa Coulibaly, special adviser to the President of the National Assembly (RHDP, ruling party), Merhy Samy (ruling RHDP), and President of the Ivory Coast-Egypt Friendship Group, and Fofana Salimata épouse Méité, member of the RHDP parliamentary group.
AP/lb/as/APA