Cairo Governor Khaled Abdel Aal received Sunday the Governor of the Japanese Metropolitan City of Tokyo, Yuriko Koike, on her first visit to Cairo accompanied by a high-level delegation to discuss means to strengthen cooperation between Cairo and Tokyo in the presence of Assistant Foreign Minister for Asian Affairs Ambassador Ayman Kamel and Japanese Ambassador to Egypt Hiroshi Oka. The visit is part of her visit to Egypt to participate in the 27th session of the United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP27) held in Sharm El-Sheikh from 6-8 November.
At the beginning of the meeting, Abdel Aal welcomed Koike and her accompanying delegation, wishing them a successful visit to Egypt that would achieve more rapprochement and fruitful cooperation between Egypt and Japan, noting the depth of the brotherly relations between the Egyptian and Japanese people.
Abdel Aal added that the two countries have solid brotherhood and friendship as Japan was one of the first countries in the world to recognize Egypt’s independence on April 7th, 1922. Soon after, Japan opened a legation in Egypt in 1926 and then an embassy in 1954 to be one the first countries to have a diplomatic representation in Egypt.
Moreover, Abdel Aal said that joint action to achieve peace and stability in the Middle East and convergence of political vision between the two countries made the Egyptian- Japanese relations stronger and deeper.
In addition, Abdel Aal said that in appreciation of the friendship between Egypt and Japan, President El-Sisi named one of Cairo’s new road axes after the late Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
Abdel Aal also noted that Egyptian-Japanese relations broadened to include trade exchange, investments, tourism, and fruitful cooperation in various fields.
During the meeting, Abdel Aal stressed that the brotherly and friendly relations between the two cities of Cairo and Tokyo date back 32 years since they signed the Cairo-Tokyo brotherhood and friendship agreement on October 23rd, 1990. He also pointed out that Cairo and Tokyo have many similarities as they are two of the world’s largest and most important cities that combine history and ancient civilization as well as share the same climate change challenges.
Abdel Aal reviewed, during the meeting, the achievements of the Egyptian government over the past eight years, including mega projects such as the New Administrative Capital, which reflect Egypt’s keenness on achieving sustainable development goals and improving the living conditions of citizens.
Furthermore, Abdel Aal reviewed the Cairo governorate’s efforts to implement the state’s sustainable development plan, Egypt vision 2030, through various initiatives and in different fields, aiming to achieve a better and more prosperous future for all citizens.
At the end of his speech, the governor stressed that the cooperation between Cairo governorate and its partners from Tokyo sincerely reflects the genuine desire to maximize cooperation between the two cities and embodies brotherly bonds and partnerships between them.
For her part, Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike expressed her happiness with her visit to Cairo, which had a friendship agreement with Tokyo since 1990. She also voiced her desire to promote cooperation and partnership between Cairo and Tokyo, especially in education, waste management, urban transportation networks, and student exchange, given that Tokyo and Cairo have the same population density.
Koike also invited Abdel Aal to participate in the International Conference on Global Cities networks for Sustainability held next February in Tokyo city.
Moreover, Koike praised Egypt’s role in reinforcing environmental measures. She also hailed President Sisi’s efforts to launch the National Strategy to Address Climate Change in May 2022 and to host the 27th session of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27).
Koike pointed out that she will participate in the high-level round table of the conference to explain the measures taken by Tokyo to tackle climate change and its impact.
Koike added that the visit would include El-Galaa School to follow up on the Japanese school model in Egypt and Shinzo Abe Road Axis.
Source: Media Department, Cairo Governorate
