Country Profile
From The Report: Egypt 2014
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At the meeting point of Asia, Africa and Europe, Egypt is African, Middle Eastern and Mediterranean. Its fertile Nile Valley and Delta cultivated one of the world’s first great civilisations, and its geographical location has seen great empires come and go, many of them making Cairo a capital. The population of nearly 87.5m is young, with around half of all Egyptians under the age of 25 and one-third under 15. The growth rate is approximately 1.5% annually, meaning another million-plus Egyptians are born every year. Egypt has a well-balanced economy by regional standards, diversified across manufacturing, extraction activity (which includes the mining, oil and gas sectors), agriculture, construction, tourism and the various segments of the rapidly emerging services sector. While the country runs a trade deficit, its export activity has continued to grow over recent years. Egypt’s biggest trading partner is the EU, which accounted for 32.6% of its exports in 2012/13.

This chapter contains interviews with President Abdel Fattah El Sisi and Robert Walter MP, Chair, UK All-Party Parliamentary Group on Egypt, as well as a viewpoint from Wang Yi, Minister of Foreign Affairs of China.

Articles from this Chapter

Overview

Stability is returning to the regional power after years of turbulence
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With a history dating back around five millennia, Egypt is one of the world’s oldest civilizations. The Pyramids of Giza and the Valley of the Kings in Luxor, among thousands of other less celebrated monuments, attest to the age of the country’s culture, founded on the fertile banks of the Nile and the river’s delta where it meets the Mediterranean Coast. Egypt’s history has seen a range of dynasties, empires, regimes and governments, from ancient Egypt through to the present day, where it…

Analysis

Boosting trade and enhancing security cooperation with neighbours and international partners
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Egypt’s strategic importance has long led it to seek close trade and diplomatic ties with its neighbours and well beyond. Geography, history and culture link it to Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Since the 1970s, relations with the US have also been a significant element in policy-making, and ties with the Gulf states have benefitted from trade, investment and emigration, as well as shared security concerns. The rise of China has also seen Egypt start to cultivate an increasingly important…

Interview

OBG talks to President Abdel Fattah El Sisi
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Interview:President Abdel Fattah El Sisi What are the main priorities that the government is looking to address in the coming year? ABDEL FATTAH EL SISI: Egypt’s ultimate objective is to establish the foundations of a modern, civil, democratic state built on effective institutions and the rule of law. We have adopted a new constitution which upholds the principles of democracy, freedom, human rights and the rule of law, after holding a free and transparent referendum, and we have elected…

Analysis

Growth initiatives: A new programme will boost public and private investment in Upper Egypt
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After two years of turbulence and an uncertain economic environment, new policy initiatives in Egypt have been – unsurprisingly – fairly limited, which makes the recent establishment of the Upper Egypt Development Initiative by the Ministry of Investment (MoI) all the more welcome. Bringing about a tangible rise in both public and private spending in Upper Egypt will not be easy – ensuring more inclusive growth in Egypt has been a focus of both government rhetoric and popular protests in the…

Interview

OBG talks to Robert Walter MP, Chair, UK All-Party Parliamentary Group on Egypt
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Interview:Robert Walter Where do you see room for expanding bilateral economic cooperation between Egypt and the UK? ROBERT WALTER: Despite the instability of the past few years, Egypt remains a strong trading partner. Egypt is the UK’s third-largest export destination in Africa and the UK is the largest non-Arab investor in the country. Indeed, many British companies are doing business in Egypt, including BP, Shell and BG Group. There is plenty of scope to build on bilateral cooperation…

Overview

A blend of ancient and modern: An influential regional player with a relatively broad-based and growing economy
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Egypt has for millennia been one of the most strategically important places on earth, and often one of its most culturally influential. Despite serious structural issues that have held back its economic development, and the past few years of political changes and instability, it remains a country of great global importance. At the meeting point of Asia, Africa and Europe, Egypt is African, Middle Eastern and Mediterranean. Its fertile Nile Valley and Delta cultivated one of the world’s first great…

Viewpoint

Wang Yi, Minister of Foreign Affairs of China, on promoting bilateral and strategic cooperation
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China is firmly supporting Egypt's political transition process, and we are optimistic about Egypt's development prospects. In this context, China-Egypt relations are embracing important opportunities of the opening up of a new situation. The two countries should make full use of China-Arab and China-Africa coopera tion policies, pushing bilateral relations to new breakthroughs. There should be three orientations for the development of China-Egypt relations. First, we must stick to a strategic orientation…