At a joint press conference, Egyptian Minister of International Cooperation Fayza Abul Naga, who attended the talks, said that the committee meetings that kicked off on Sunday are focusing on boosting cooperation in several and important sectors including trade and joint investments.

She added that joint trade hit last year US$27 million compared to US$7 million in 2007. Abul-Naga said Egypt and Uzbekistan enjoy important know-how especially in the fields of agriculture, water resources, scientific research, food processing, power generation, energy and information technology.

She pointed out that Uzbek Deputy Prime Minister Rustam Qosimov will tour the Smart Village to get acquainted with a possible exchange of expertise to establish a similar village in Uzbekistan.

The minister said the two sides discussed means to support the transport means between the two countries with the aim of facilitating the movement of trade and investment between Egypt and Uzbekistan and scientific cooperation among the universities in the two countries.

Abul-Naga said there’s a great possibility for Egypt and Uzbekistan to cooperate in manufacturing tractors, citing an agreement signed by Cairo and Tashkent.