- Dr. Mohamed Farid and Mr. Artur Karpovich establish a roadmap for technology localization, increasing local content, and exploring pharmaceutical and food industry partnerships.
Key Provisions of the Joint Cooperation Protocol:
- Localizing the manufacturing of tractors, trucks, and heavy equipment in cooperation with Egypt’s Ministry of Military Production and the Arab Organization for Industrialization.
- Launching strategic projects in food security, grain storage technology, and dairy and meat products.
- Establishing partnerships for the production of human and veterinary pharmaceuticals and studying the creation of a joint pharmaceutical manufacturing zone.
- Expanding cooperation in customs digital transformation, software development, and e-government digital services.
- Developing a scientific research roadmap and exchanging scientists and researchers in the fields of energy and agriculture.
- Exploring the operation of direct flights, increasing tourism flows, and activating the Egypt – Belarus Business Forum.
Dr. Mohamed Farid Saleh, Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade (MIFT Minister), and Mr. Artur Karpovich, Minister of Antimonopoly Regulation and Trade of the Republic of Belarus, signed an expanded strategic cooperation protocol at the conclusion of the eighth session of the Egyptian-Belarusian Joint Trade Committee held in Minsk. The protocol aims to establish a comprehensive operational framework for increasing bilateral trade volumes and diversifying the structure of exports.
The Belarusian side welcomed the expansion of Egyptian agricultural, pharmaceutical, chemical, and textile exports into the Belarusian market, emphasized Egypt’s role as a regional and strategic hub for exporting Belarusian industries to African and Arab markets. This is supported by Egypt’s extensive free trade agreements, alongside investment incentives and significant facilitation measures for Belarusian companies seeking entry into the Egyptian market through structured information exchange between the General Authority for Investment and Free Zones (GAFI) and its Belarusian counterparts.
The protocol also outlined a detailed implementation track for expanding joint production and localizing Belarusian industries in Egypt, particularly in the manufacturing of tractors, trucks, and heavy equipment. This will be pursued through enhanced technical cooperation with the Ministry of Military Production (MoMP) and the Arab Organization for Industrialization (AOI), with a focus on technology transfer, exchange of technical expertise, increasing local content ratios, and improving quality and productivity.
The agreement further addressed key food security priorities through cooperation in grain production and storage, supply chain development, and exploring opportunities in dairy and meat products. It also includes the exchange of expertise in agricultural and veterinary quarantine procedures to facilitate exports and ensure food safety standards.
In the fields of technology and innovation, the two ministers agreed to explore the implementation of joint research projects in the energy and agriculture sectors and to develop a scientific cooperation roadmap that includes researcher training programs and the exchange of scientists between academic institutions and universities in both countries, in addition to launching joint postgraduate programs. Cooperation will also extend to the communications sector through the transfer of expertise in software development, digital and e-government services. Furthermore, both sides agreed to strengthen customs cooperation in the areas of digital transformation, inspection and monitoring, anti-smuggling mechanisms, and electronic integration for commercial data exchange to facilitate bilateral trade flows.
The protocol concluded with an emphasis on enhancing cooperation in pharmaceutical manufacturing, scientific research, and medical training, including studying the establishment of joint pharmaceutical production projects.
Both sides also agreed to work jointly to increase tourist flows and encourage participation in tourism events, while exploring the launch of direct flights between the two countries to strengthen people-to-people and economic ties. In addition, the two parties agreed to activate the role of the Egypt – Belarus Business Forum through the organization of economic forums, exhibitions, and regular trade missions, alongside the development of a specialized electronic platform linking private sector companies in both countries to ensure the sustainability of the investment partnership
