Egypt, Nigeria sign political pact

Egypt's Ambassador here Ashraf Abdel-Kader Salama said that Egypt and Nigeria have signed recently a memorandum of understanding to bolster political relations. Egypt-Nigeria relations are poised to witness a strong push in the near future, the envoy said in a statement issued in Abuja, making reference to Egyptian Foreign Minister Nabil Fahmy's meeting with his Nigerian counterpart Prof. Viola Onwuliri that took place on the margins of an Arab-African Summit in Kuwait. According to dailytrust, the ambassador said that following the meeting, the two countries pursued their consultations in Cairo in which a Memorandum of Understanding on the Establishment of a Mechanism of Political Consultations was signed and the first round of political consultations was held. Salama clarified that the high level consultations focused on intensifying political coordination between the two nations to reach more profound means of understanding to achieve the expected goals of development and interests of the African Continent and support bilateral relations. The Egyptian ambassador also said that the two sides agreed on reviving the Joint Governmental Bilateral Commission that will focus on promoting economic cooperation to increase the level of exchanged trade, open up new vistas of cooperation in the fields of health, pharmaceuticals, agriculture, tourism, and mining and consolidate the two nations' cultural and humanitarian bonds. The statement quoted Onwuliri reiterating Nigeria’s support for the road map being implemented in Egypt for political transformation and assured that the Nigerian people stand in solidarity with the people of Egypt.