Pakistan, Egypt agree to revive key cooperation forums in high-level talks

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Egypt on Sunday agreed to revive stalled institutional mechanisms and expand cooperation across multiple sectors during delegation-level talks held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Ishaq Dar met Egyptian Foreign Minister Dr Badr Abdelatty for detailed discussions. Senior officials from both sides attended the meeting.

The two ministers reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening bilateral relations and agreed to reactivate the Joint Ministerial Commission and Annual Bilateral Consultations.

According to the Foreign Office, both sides will use these platforms to advance cooperation in trade, investment, health, education, culture and people-to-people exchanges.

The ministers also agreed to establish a Pakistan-Egypt Business Council. They decided to identify leading Pakistani companies for B2B engagement with Egyptian counterparts and to convene a Ministerial Business Forum in Cairo in the second quarter of 2026. 

Senior officials from both countries will meet in Islamabad in the first quarter of 2026 to prepare for the event.

During the talks, the Egyptian foreign minister announced that Egypt would double the number of scholarships offered to Pakistani students at Al Azhar University.

Dar thanked Egypt for its support in Pakistan’s ongoing Hepatitis C elimination programme and for advancing educational and cultural cooperation through Al Azhar scholarships.

Separately, FM Abdelatty also called on President Asif Ali Zardari, where the pair exchanged views "on matters of bilateral cooperation, regional stability, and the humanitarian situation in Gaza."

"The president underscored the historic ties between Pakistan and Egypt and conveyed Pakistan's desire to elevate the partnership across all domains," a statement issued by the Foreign Office on X said, adding that the president appreciated Egypt's "leadership and constructive diplomatic engagement on issues of regional importance."

The Egyptian FM also held a meeting with the Chief of Army Staff, Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, at the general headquarters, where the discussions focused on "defense and security cooperation, military exchanges, training collaborations, and regional peace and stability. "

"Both sides reaffirmed the importance of continued high-level engagement between the armed forces of the two countries," the FO said.