Chairman & CEO of Pakistan Observer, Mr Faisal Zahid Malik called on Ambassador of the Arab Republic of Egypt Dr Ihab Mohamed Abdelhamid Hassan here on Tuesday and congratulated him on assuming the charge as new ambassador of Egypt in Pakistan. He also discussed with him bilateral trade and situation in the region, particularly the Israeli forces’ war crimes and hostilities in Gaza.—PO photo by ShArif
Zubair Qureshi Islamabad
Chairman & CEO of Pakistan Observer Mr Faisal Zahid Malik on Tuesday called on the new Ambassador of the Arab Republic of Egypt, DrIhab Mohamed Abdelhamid Hassan and congratulated him on assuming the charge of his office recently. Pakistan and Egypt, he said, enjoyed historic relations spanning over decades of mutual trade, investment and cooperation in diverse areas such as cultural, education and tourism linkages.
Briefing the Egyptian envoy about Pakistan Observer, Mr Faisal Malik said his late father, Founder Editor-in-Chief of Pakistan Observer, Zahid Malik always supported the cause of the Unity of the Ummah and closer cooperation among the Muslim countries. In the context of the war crimes being committed by the Israeli forces in the occupied territories of Palestine, Mr Faisal Malik said both Pakistan and Egyptian governments have condemned the hostilities and called for immediate halt to these attacks in Gaza Strip.
Besides, Egypt has always been in the forefront in fighting against impacts of climate challenge, he said adding in 2022, the Egyptian government demonstrated its resolve by making extraordinary arrangements for the participating countries and agencies at the Conference of Parties (COP27) in Sharm El-Sheikh. This also speaks volumes how important it is for the Arab world, particularly Egypt, to counter the climate-related challenges such as global warming and uncertain conditions, he said.
Ambassador of Egypt Ihab Mohamed Abdelhamid Hassan said Egypt firmly opposed the aggression by the Israeli forces in Gaza and has proposed the two-state solution for resolution of the conflict. About relations with Pakistan, he said Egypt sought stronger ties with Pakistan and both the people and the government of Egypt enjoyed cordial and friendly relations with their Pakistani counterparts.
DrIhab Mohamed Abdelhamid Hassan said the media played an important role in shaping the public opinion and Pakistan Observer being a leading English daily can contribute to further strengthening Pakistan-Egypt bilateral relations, he said. He noted that Egypt and Pakistan bilateral trade touched $200 million in 2023, however, still there was ample room for further boost in this direction. Last year, Egypt and Pakistan signed a number of Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) for mutual cooperation in education, tourism and food sectors. This shows trade and investment between the two friendly countries are picking up which is a good sign for increased cooperation between Egypt and Pakistan. Mr Faisal Zahid Malik on the occasion expressed his keenness for media cooperation and exchanges as media in both countries faced the common challenges to their economies.
