It’s the final day of Singaporean President Tharman Shanmugaratnam’s four-day visit to Egypt, which marks the president’s first ever visit to both the Middle East and North Africa, according to a statement from Singapore’s Foreign Ministry.

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Boosting investment and trade cooperation ranked high on the agenda during Shanmugaratnam’s meeting with President Abdel Fattah El Sisi, which was followed by El Sisi calling for “public and private institutions and companies in Singapore to invest more in the Egyptian market,” during a joint presser. The two heads of state also agreed that it was the right time to “explore the feasibility of a freetrade agreement between Singapore and Egypt,” according to a separate statement from Singapore’s Foreign Ministry. Economic and trade cooperation also featured heavily in Shanmugaratnam’s meeting with Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouly.

Gaza also featured prominently in discussions, with the two discussing efforts to end the attack on Gaza and ensure the delivery of humanitarian aid. The two also called for increased cooperation on Islamic education between Singapore and Egypt’s Al Azhar.

The joint presser was followed by the signing of seven MoUs between the countries, including to cooperate on the development of Egyptian ports and for Singapore to develop an interactive digital map that “includes logistics corridors, sea, in-land and dry ports, planned and operating logistic areas as well as licensed storage sector and industrial zones.” The MoU between the Transport Ministry and Singapore Cooperation Enterprise (SCE) also seeks to utilize Singapore’s experience in the logistics sector in terms of capacity building, along with exploring funding options for planned projects.

The Planning Ministry also inked a wide-ranging economic partnership promotion MoU with the SCE, which covered logistics, cybersecurity, digitization, and more. The agreement also covered supporting a separate agreement between the SCE and the Suez Canal Economic Zone to develop West Port Said into a smart port.

An MoU was also inked between the SCE and the Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprise Development Agency, which will see the two cooperate to support “inclusive and sustainable economic growth.” The Social Solidarity Ministry, Health Ministry, Agriculture Ministry, and National Training Academy also inked MoUs with their Singaporean counterparts to cooperate on social protection, health, agricultural production, and public sector governance and leadership training.

ALSO- The two countries also signed a package of cooperation agreements during the Egyptian-Singaporean Business Forum, covering investment, education, training, and capacity building, according to a statement. The General Authority for Investment and Freezones signed an MoU with a Singaporean group to deepen investment ties, while the Education Ministry inked an agreement with Egypt’s NASS Academy, Inovo, and Singapore’s ITE Education Services (ITEES) to modernize vocational training and align skills with market demand.

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