#DiplomaticCentennial/Mihai Stefan Stuparu: Egypt, no.1 marketplace for Romanian products in Africa and Middle East

The Arab Republic of Egypt plays an important role in Romania's strategy to develop relations with states in Africa and the Middle East, being in fact Romania's main trade partner in the region. Cooperation between the two states is not only about economic aspects, progress being registered in many other domains, such as political dialogue, cultural cooperation, tourism, but also anti-corruption fight, Romania's Ambassador to the Arab Republic of Egypt Mihai Stefan Stuparu told an interview granted to AGERPRES.

According to the Romanian diplomat, starting with the first month of 2018, Egypt went back to being the main marketplace for Romanian products in Africa and the Middle East, significant monthly growths being registered as compared to the same periods of 2017.

Moreover, standing out in the energy field is this year's completion of a large-scale project within the Egyptian manufacturing capability development programme - the construction of the power plant in Burullus to which two Romanian companies were subcontractors of the German holding Siemens with the local company Orascom Construction Ltd. - a success that opens the way to new partnerships and the consolidation of the Romanian companies' presence in Egypt's energy field, the Romanian ambassador in Cairo underscores.

As for the tourism sector, one of the Egyptian economy's main pillars, the Romanian official highlights that Egypt's comeback to the top of the holiday preferences is visible in Romania as well, where tour operators have stared selling packages to traditional destinations, especially Hurghada and Sharm el Sheikh. Furthermore, there are numerous Romanian tourists interested in historical-religious tourism, particularly in Cairo and South Sinai, in the Saint Catherine Monastery area. In this light and given some recent estimates, the number of Romanian tourists to visit Egypt will reach and exceed last year's level, an important role in this sense having the very good relations between both countries' tour operators, Mihai Stefan Stuparu explained.

Given the context, there is a real interest, both from Romania and Egypt, in resuming airline flights, a demarche with major positive impact in promoting and expanding bilateral relations in multiple domains, the Romanian ambassador in Cairo stresses.

The interview, conducted via e-mail, is part of the editorial project #DiplomaticCentennial carried out by AGERPRES throughout the year with a focus on diplomatic relations in the context of the 100-year anniversary since the Greater Union.

AGERPRES: The diplomatic relations between Romania and Egypt have a rich history of 112 years. What are the topical essential areas of collaboration between the two countries and on what directions do you think they can develop in the future?
 
Mihai Stefan Stuparu: Based on the very good bilateral contacts and ties and their evolution, especially in the trade field, Romania has considered the opening of a diplomatic representation since the early 1860s. The decision, materialized in April 1906, came to sanction the traditional tie between the two countries, characterized throughout the history by friendly relations, common interests and the absence of major divergences. After emerging from the authoritarian rule, Romania has always shown its willingness to support the efforts and the desire expressed by the Egyptian people to reform, modernize and ensure the stability of the state, so that Egypt can reestablish a successful model in the region.

As a major regional leader and based on traditional friendship relations, Egypt plays an important role in Romania's strategy of developing relations with states in Africa and the Middle East, which is particularly highlighted by the very good level of economic and trade cooperation (Egypt is Romania's main trading partner in the region). Relationships, however, are not limited to these aspects, with progress being made in many other areas, such as political dialogue, cultural cooperation and education, tourism, anti-corruption, etc. I believe it is in the common interest and for the benefit of both parties that the level of cooperation be deepened in all areas of interest.
 
AGERPRES: In terms of trade, the cooperation between Romania and Egypt is a close one, Romania providing Egypt with essential products like wheat or oak wood. What is the value of the bilateral trade exchanges between Egypt and Romania at present?
 
Mihai Stefan Stuparu: Since the first month of 2018, Egypt has again become the main market for selling Romanian products in Africa and the Middle East, with significant monthly increases over the same period of 2017. Thus, according to the National Institute of Statistics (INS), in the first six months of 2018, the total trade with Egypt was worth 455.99 million USD, registering an increase of 88.19pct compared to the same period of 2017, when the total value of the exchanges stood at 242.30 million USD. As far as Romanian exports to Egypt are concerned, they amounted to 391.48 million USD in the first half of 2018, an increase of 114.30pct over the same period of 2017 (182.68 million USD).

Thus, after the first six months of 2018, Egypt ranks:
- First as destination of the Romanian exports to Africa and the Middle East;
- 7th in the top of export destination countries, excluding EU countries and immediately after Turkey, the USA, the Russian Federation, the Republic of Moldova, Serbia and China;
- First in the list of trade surplus countries excluding countries in the EU, with a value of 326.97 million USD and an increase of 203.91 million USD over the same period of 2017.

I would also like to mention that the imports of products and services from Egypt are on an upward trend, registering an increase of 8.21pct over the same period of 2017, thus reaching 64.51 million USD.
 
AGERPRES: At the moment, what are the main sectors in Egypt that attract investment from Romania?
 
Mihai Stefan Stuparu: According to the Egyptian statistics, the volume of Romanian investments in Egypt is about 18.3 million USD, the main areas being industrial (energy sector), information technology and service provision.
At the same time, the amount of Egyptian investments in our country is about 40 million USD, and the Embassy, together with the Commercial and Economic Promotion Bureau, is taking steps to strengthen the Egyptian investment presence in Romania.
 
AGERPRES: In February, you had a meeting with the Minister of Electricity and Renewable Energy, Mohamed Shaker, with the participation of representatives of the Romanian company ROMELECTRO, where they discussed the ways to support and intensify the cooperation in the field of electricity. In concrete terms, how do you think the presence of Romanian companies in this field in Egypt can be increased and what concrete benefits can it bring to bilateral relations?
 
Mihai Stefan Stuparu: The cooperation of the Romanian companies with the Egyptian companies in the field of energy has a long tradition and also significant development perspectives.
I would like to mention the successful completion this year of a major project within the Egyptian capacity development program, namely the construction of the Burullus power plant, where Romelectro and Energomontaj were subcontractors of the German company holding Siemens with the local company Orascom Construction Ltd.

I appreciate that the success of this project can pave the way for new partnerships and strengthen the presence of Romanian companies in the ever expanding energy sector in Egypt (energy transmission lines and stations, building / upgrading of coal or natural gas plants, etc). In order to achieve this desired goal, however, greater willingness from Romanian companies to become involved with local partners in the start and implementation of such projects is necessary.
 
AGERPRES: Egypt has recently bought at a tender 240,000 tons of wheat from Russia and Romania, of which 60,000 from Romania. Last year, Egyptian policy on ergot fungi provoked turmoil on global wheat markets, which ended only after the Egyptian government had waived the requirement for a zero ergot fungi content of wheat imports after three canceled tenders due to the trader's refusal to meet a standard that it considers impossible. Did the trade with Romania suffer following this Egyptian policy?
 
Mihai Stefan Stuparu: I would like to start by pointing out that Egypt is the world's largest importer of wheat and Romania is among the top five grain exporters on this market.

In 2017, due to the "small turbulence" you have brought to mind, the Romanian wheat exports decreased from 286 million USD in 2016 to just 208 million USD by the end of 2017.

However, through the discussions I had with the Minister of Agriculture, the Minister for International Cooperation and the Minister of Industry and Trade, as well as with representatives of the Egyptian business environment, etc, we have succeeded in relaunching the export of cereals on the Egyptian market, so that by mid-2018, Romanian exports to Egypt amounted to 97.81 million USD (with a volume of 455 thousand tons) compared to 86.94 million USD (export volume of 461 thousand tons) in the same period of 2017.

AGERPRES: The Romanian community in Egypt includes around 500 people, plus those who are working here on the basis of experience exchanges and work contracts. How would you describe this community? What are the fields of choice of people who choose to work in Egypt?

Mihai Stefan Stuparu: According to the latest estimates, we appreciate that the size of the Romanian community in Egypt is around 500-600 people, of which though, only 300 manifested their wish to enroll in the unique register opened at the embassy. Most Romanian citizens in Egypt is formed of women, as a result of marriage, many mixed families existing here. Members of the community are hired in various fields of activity, especially tourism, the textile industry and auto components, in the energy and oil sectors. They are predominantly settled in large cities - Cairo, Alexandria and Hurghada.

I appreciate that notably in recent years, the Romanian community has become much more united, maybe also due to a group created on social media. In the last few years, we have noticed an increased participation (over 150-180 people) in the activities that are periodically organized by the Embassy, on the occasion of some important days or at cultural and socializing manifestations.

It is worth mentioning that approximately 1,000 Romanian tourists monthly come to Egypt, in the famous tourist zones: Hurghada, Cairo, Sharm el Sheikh and the Valley of the Nile (Aswan-Luxor), their number growing once we opened charter flights from Cluj, Timisoara and Bucharest.

AGERPRES: Mid-June, a delegation of the Consular Department of the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs was in Cairo, where they met, amongst others, with members of the Romanian community in Egypt. What were the topics tackled during this meeting and what aspects did the Romanian community signal to the members of the delegation?

Mihai Stefan Stuparu: It was a very useful meeting, context in which the members of the community reiterated, amongst other things, the wish for direct flights from Bucharest to Cairo to be resumed, the identification of solutions so that the Romanian state can offer scholarships and theme camping trips for the children in the community, the simplification of the visa approval for the family members of the Romanian citizens or that school books be sent for the classes of Romanian language and literature organized periodically within the Embassy.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the members of the community for the appreciations they sent during the meeting regarding the activity carried out by the Embassy, in general, and by the consular department in particular.

AGERPRES: Through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Romanian state offers foreign citizens for the university year 2018-2019 a number of 85 scholarships for undergraduate and postgraduate courses in Romania. From the information you hold, are the young Egyptians currently interested in undergraduate and postgraduate studies in Romania, given that in the past, a large number of Egyptian students were studying in Romanian universities?

Mihai Stefan Stuparu: Traditional relationships between the two countries, the good image that our country benefits from in Egypt and the academic expertise that the Romanian educational system has in areas of interest for the Egyptian society contributes to maintaining an increased interest from young people to continue their studies in Romania. Additionally, through the cooperation program in the fields of education and culture signed in March 2016, the two parties have committed to offer, on a reciprocal basis, 10 scholarships per year for undergraduate studies, masters' or doctoral programmes.

Moreover, every year we register 10-20 requests from young Egyptians to continue, on payment, their studies in our country. We wish that in the upcoming period we develop even more the cooperation in the field of education, an especially important field for the future of both countries, by encouraging partnerships between higher education institutions from Romania and Egypt, apart from those that have already been established.

AGERPRES: Egypt is a country with a rich history and a huge tourism potential, threatened in the last years by the scourge of terrorism. How has the tourism sector been affected, which is essential for the Egyptian economy, as a result of these important challenges to security?

Mihai Stefan Stuparu: Tourism represents one of the main pillars of the Egyptian economy. Security issues, both internal, as well as regional, have had a negative impact on the number of foreign tourists and as a result, the income and performance of this industry.

The security measures implemented by the Egyptian authorities, correlated with the promotion of some travel packages with a very attractive quality-/price ratio have led, in the last period, to an obvious improvement of the situation in the tourism sector, which is currently nearing the situation prior to the revolution of 2011.

Egypt's comeback to the top vacation preferences is visible in Romania as well, tour operators starting to sell packages to traditional destinations, especially Hurghada and Sharm el Sheikh. As a result of the high number of demands, starting with March 2017 we periodically organize charter flights between some cities in Romania (such as Bucharest, Timisoara or Cluj Napoca) and the main tourist destinations in Egypt. There are also many Romanian tourists who are interested in historical - religious tourism, especially in Cairo and South Sinai, in the area of Saint Catherine Monastery.

According to recent estimates, the number of Romanian tourists that will visit Egypt will reach or even surpass last year's level, an important role in this sense being the very good relations, consolidated in many years of cooperation, among the tour operators of both countries.

AGERPRES: His Excellency, Mr Salah El-Din A. El-Sadek Ahmed, ambassador of the Arab Republic of Egypt to Romania, was estimating in an interview with a Romanian newspaper at the end of 2017 that Egypt is today a safe, welcoming destination for both investors and tourists. In your opinion, what efforts has Egypt made to regain its position on the tourism world market?

Mihai Stefan Stuparu: The Cairo authorities have given and continue to give special attention to ensuring stability and security, in the last period managing to isolate the potential terrorist risks. The Egyptian Army continues the military operations in the north of the Sinai Peninsula, with the purpose to eliminate the terrorist groups and in parallel it is implicated in ensuring the main tourist destinations.

Apart from these efforts, the Egyptian authorities are conducting powerful promotion campaigns, both internally and externally, and the tour operators are offering attractive price packages, the outcome being already visible in the hotels and tourist resorts' occupancy degree.

AGERPRES: The importance of the direct flights between the two countries was stressed at a meeting of the Commerce ministers from Romania and Egypt this spring. What is currently the situation in this regard?

Mihai Stefan Stuparu: A real interest exists for both our country and Egypt to resume the flights, such a step being due to undoubtedly have a major positive impact in the promotion and expansion of the bilateral relations in several fields.

After 2013, when Tarom decided to cancel its Bucharest - Cairo flights due to financial reasons, several discussions were held referring to resuming the direct flights, at both experts' level and on the sidelines of some official meetings between representatives of the authorities of the two countries, negotiations being pretty advanced. I express my belief that a decision to resuming direct flights will be made in the immediate period.

AGERPRES: In the current geopolitical context, what do you think our fellow citizens should know when planning to travel to Egypt this year, one of the favourite holiday destinations of the Romanian tourists?

Mihai Stefan Stuparu: All the necessary information to organize in the best conditions a holiday in Egypt are permanently updated on the MAE's website in reference to the travel alerts, as well as on the Embassy's web page. As with any other visit abroad of the Romanian citizens, regardless of the aimed countries, it is recommended to read and understand the information presented, since they are very useful for the trip's best organization.

In order to avoid any problems, the Romanian citizens visiting Egypt are recommended to take some normal self-protection measures, such as: to avoid night time circulation in busy places, in the areas of the demonstrations or the traveling to isolated spots of the country; to keep their papers, personal objects, travel tickets, money, credit cards in safe places, and avoid exposing them visibly; to observe the local traditions and customs; in case theft attempts occur, they are recommended to never show resistance and announce the nearest police section, and subsequently the Embassy; in case of traveling in Egypt for tourism, the Romanian citizens are recommended to only use certified operators and follow the advice of the group's leader and that of the order forces. Moreover, the adjustment of their clothing and of the trails used to the climate conditions in the visited areas are required and when necessary, to the local cultural and religious specificities.

AGERPRES: The Romanian Orthodox Church via its Basilica Travel agency organizes pilgrimages to Egypt that include the visit of Saint Catherine Monastery in the Sinai Peninsula. In context of a broad antiterrorist campaign due to be carried out as of February, in the North Sinai province, as well as of the occasional gun shots between the Egyptian forces and the Islamic State group's militants in the said area, how safe is it in your opinion to organize now pilgrimages in the Sinai Peninsula?

Mihai Stefan Stuparu: The campaign started by the Egyptian authorities called the Sinai 2018 Operation is currently taking place only in the north of the peninsula and aims to isolate the militant factions in the area and erase the terrorist elements. The Saint Catherine Monastery is placed south of Sinai, where the security situation is currently controlled by the Egyptian authorities. Being aware of the potential and attractiveness of this area for the religious tourism, they give special attention to ensuring the tourists' security who are carrying out pilgrimages to Saint Catherine.

Romania's Embassy in Egypt, through the Consular Section maintains a permanent link with both the Basilica Travel, and the representatives of the Egyptian security forces and of the Saint Catherine Monastery, to ensure the best evolution of the visits to the worship spot. I reiterate with this occasion the recommendation that the Romanian tourists view the Internet pages of the Foreign Affairs Ministry and the Embassy's.

AGERPRES: In 2018, Romania is celebrating the Greater Union Centennial. What events has the Embassy prepared on this occasion and what message would you like to convey to the Romanians at this solemn moment?

Mihai Stefan Stuparu: Romania's Embassy in Egypt has organized and will continue to organize the long of 2018, actions meant to properly mark the celebration of the Centennial, some being connected to other significant events.

Thus, the following activities were organised and can be seen on the Embassy's website:
- Romanian film screenings on the occasion of the Culture Day, the United Principalities Day and the Brancusi Day, attended by representatives of the Romanian community, their family members and former higher school graduates in Romania.
- In cooperation with the Nord Association for Cooperation and Integration and the Neamt County Council, book donations were organized at the Arab Language Academy, the Arab States League, the Egyptian Foreign Affairs Ministry, the Coptic Church and the Greek Church of Egypt, as well as at higher education institutions. This programme will continue the long of this year.
- A creative workshop for children, including the Centennial's theme, in the context of the Martisor celebration.
- The anniversary of the "Ia Day" - Romanian blouse Day - in a genuine spot - at the pyramids and the Sphynx - a successful action attended by several members of the Romanian community.
- Romanian evening at the Opera of Cairo (the most representative and reputed cultural institution in Egypt), with the support of the Romanian-Egyptian Centre - "Atelier de Ballet" / Ballet Workshop. The event included a brief presentation of the Centennial Year and a film of presentation of Romania. Ballet school pupils and from the Romanian community also performed pieces of ballet, Romanian popular songs and sang songs from the international and Romanian repertoire.

In the next period, we have in view to organize other actions to mark the Centennial, of which I'd mention a culinary evening with traditional meals and a Romanian wine tasting, screenings of Romanian films at the Embassy's seat, the organization of two receptions for the celebration of the National Day and the Greater Union's Centennial (one for the officials, Egyptian dignitaries, diplomatic corps, and another for the Romanian community in Egypt, like we did every year).

In this context and taking advantage of your kindness, I would like to thank all the members of the Romanian community in Egypt - and not only, for their activity and support given to the Embassy in promoting the Romanian interests and values. May this special year, of the Greater Union Centennial - the accomplishment of the Romanian's dream for centuries bring but joy to all Romanians, wherever they are and continue to keep in their souls and seed in the hearts of their children, grandchildren and great grandchildren the love and devotion for Romania!AGERPRES(RO - author: Ana Bigu, editor: Mariana Ionescu; EN - authors: Simona Iacob, Bogdan Gabaroi, Catalin Cristian Trandafir, Maria Voican; editor: Simona Iacob)