Foreign Minister Badr Abdel Atty said ties with Uruguay are based on friendship and mutual respect. In statements after a phone call Abdel Atty had on Tuesday 20/8/2024 with his Uruguayan counterpart Omar Paganini, Spokesman for the Foreign Ministry Ahmad Abu Zeid said bilateral ties were established in 1932, based on friendship and mutual respect. Abu Zeid said the two top diplomats expressed their aspiration to hold a new round of political consultations between the two countries in Cairo. Abdel Aatty praised the role of the Uruguayan battalion participating in the multinational forces in Sinai since its establishment in 1982. The Foreign Minister also stressed the importance of enhancing trade exchange and benefiting from the great potentials the two countries enjoy, and the existence of a free trade agreement between Egypt and the South American trade bloc Mercosur, which opens new horizons for revitalizing economic and trade relations, and the possibility of benefiting from the existence of free trad e agreements between Egypt and African and Arab countries, in a way that can Uruguay access new markets in Africa and the Middle East. Abdel Atty pointed out to the importance of expanding the scope of bilateral cooperation to include other fields such as agriculture, livestock, fisheries, the pharmaceutical industry, tourism, oil and natural gas, and green hydrogen. He highlighted the efforts of the Egyptian state in the field of attracting foreign direct investments, the possibility of the Uruguayan side benefiting from the promising investment opportunities in Egypt, and probing the launching of a bilateral partnership between Egypt and Uruguay in the field of maritime transport and logistics services, based on achieving the common interests of both sides, opening channels of communication and exchanging experiences in the field. The spokesman indicated that the call witnessed a review of cooperation between the two countries in multilateral forums, and his Uruguayan counterpart was keen on praising Egy pt's regional role. The two sides also agreed to work on arranging a bilateral meeting as soon as possible. Source: State Information Service Egypt