Category: MIL-OSI

Source: APO

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Today, President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi met with His Majesty the King of Belgium, King Philippe, at the Royal Palace of Brussels. The meeting was attended by Minister of Foreign Affairs, Emigration and Egyptian Expatriates, Dr. Badr Abdel-Atty.

The Spokesman for the Presidency, Ambassador Mohamed El- Shennawy, said the official reception ceremony included the Royal Guard of Honor in the palace courtyard. King Philippe was at the forefront to receive the President and accompanied him to his private office, where a commemorative photo was taken.

King Philippe welcomed the President and expressed his appreciation for his visit, which reflects the deep historical relations between Egypt and Belgium, both at the official and popular levels. The King noted the significant development in coordination and political consultation in recent years and commended Egypt’s intensive efforts, and the President personally, in coordination with the other mediators, to reach a ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip, stressing that these efforts represent a fundamental pillar in supporting regional stability and enhancing the chances of peace.

President El-Sisi expressed his deep appreciation for His Majesty the King for the warm welcome, noting Belgium’s noble stance and King Philippe’s personal support for the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people. This was embodied in Belgium’s recognition of the Palestinian State.

The meeting addressed regional developments. Both sides emphasized the need to resolve crises by peaceful means to ensure safeguarding states’ sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity, as well as the resources of their peoples.

President El-Sisi looked forward to the participation of His Majesty King Philippe in the opening ceremony of the Grand Egyptian Museum, scheduled for November 1st, stressing that His Majesty’s presence carries special significance in light of the deep interest the Royal Family and the Belgian people have in the ancient Egyptian civilization. The President added that Egypt also looked forward to boosting incoming tourism from Belgium.

The meeting also highlighted the importance of increasing Belgian investments in Egypt, given Egypt’s promising potential and investment opportunities, in addition to ways to strengthen bilateral relations across all sectors.

King Philippe expressed his appreciation for President El-Sisi’s interest in strengthening cooperation between the two countries, stressing that the Belgian people value Egypt’s pivotal role in consolidating stability in the Middle East and the Southern Mediterranean. The King also highlighted the importance of joint action between governments to address challenges and achieve the aspirations of the Egyptian and Belgian peoples.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Presidency of the Arab Republic of Egypt.

Source: APO

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“In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful”

Mr. António Costa,
President of the European Council;

Your Excellencies and Honorable Leaders,
Leaders and Heads of Government of the Friendly European Countries;

Ms. Ursula von der Leyen,

President of the European Commission,

I extend my sincere gratitude and profound appreciation to Mr. Costa for his kind initiative in organizing this dinner. I am deeply pleased by the scale and level of participation from the friendly European Leaders and Heads of State and Government, and from the President of the European Commission. This gathering represents a unique opportunity for consultations and exchange of views regarding the course of bilateral relations, ways to further advance them, and regional and international issues of common interest.

This comes at a delicate international moment that necessitates that we all strengthen the bonds of understanding and cooperation to ensure a more stable and prosperous future for our peoples, our regions, and our shared neighborhood.

I would like to seize this opportunity today to emphasize to all distinguished attendees the significant attention that Egypt places on collaborating with the European Union to strengthen the existing Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the two sides. This partnership is not viewed merely as being between Egypt and the institutions of the European Union, but also encompasses the full scope of bilateral relations between Egypt and all EU Member States, thereby serving the interests of the Egyptian and the European peoples alike.

I was deeply honored to participate today in the proceedings of the first-ever EU-Egypt summit. During the gathering, we emphasized our aspiration for this summit to represent a true starting point in the path of coordination, cooperation, and advancement of the Strategic Partnership between Egypt and the European Union in its broadest sense, establishing a model to be emulated in cooperation between the two shores of the Mediterranean.

Allow me to, once again, express my sincere gratitude to my friend President Costa and to all attendees for the generous hospitality. I wish us all a productive evening and constructive dialogue.

Thank you very much

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Presidency of the Arab Republic of Egypt.

Source: APO

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For the first time ever, a circulating variant poliovirus type 3 (cVDPV3) was fully sequenced in Cameroon, marking a major milestone in Africa’s efforts to detect and respond  faster to polio outbreaks. 

Poliovirus has three types: 1, 2, and 3. Although wild polio type 3 was declared eradicated in 2019, variant type 3 can still appear where immunity is low, making quick detection and response essential to contain outbreaks. 

Cameroon’s expanded sequencing capacity now allows its national polio lab to detect and provide provisional results before confirmatory testing by the regional reference lab in Ghana. Local provisional results help speed up outbreak response by reducing delays.   

On this occasion, although a sample was still provided to Ghana for quality assurance, detection and intervention commenced promptly at the national level. This approach enabled a more rapid response, enhanced national ownership, and demonstrated the significant impact of Africa’s expanding network of sequencing laboratories on efforts to eradicate polio. 

Cameroon’s milestone is one aspect of ongoing change in Africa, supported by WHO AFRO’s polio laboratory programme led by Dr. Kfutwah.  “Expanding polio sequencing labs in the African region is a key goal that will significantly aid efforts against polioviruses and other vaccine-preventable diseases, representing progress in public health for the área.”- Dr Kfutwah  

Two key flagship initiatives are spearheading this transformation. First, countries are expanding in-country sequencing laboratories to bring virus detection closer to where outbreaks occur. By bringing sequencing closer to where outbreaks occur, countries are cutting delays and boosting rapid response capacity. A clear example comes from Nigeria: the recent addition of the Ibadan sequencing laboratory has led to a 41% reduction in variant polio type 1 sequencing turnaround time for isolates from across the country. 

Prior to the establishment of the Ibadan sequencing facility, samples were required to be transported over long distances, frequently crossing international borders. With the development of local capacity within Nigeria, results are now delivered more promptly and consistently, enabling teams to respond more efficiently and minimizing opportunities for viral transmisión and spread.  

At the same time, the region is embracing next-generation technologies to make virus detection even faster and more flexible. One of these is the MinION nanopore platform, a small, easy-to-carry device that can read the genetic code of viruses quickly, even outside of big laboratories. 

By bringing this kind of technology closer to where outbreaks may occur, health teams can detect and respond to the virus much faster, helping to protect more children and stop the spread of polio. 

A recent analysis of two variant type 3 isolates utilized both MinION and Sanger sequencing methods. MinION, when used near outbreaks, typically delivers results more quickly than Sanger sequencing, which can be important for timely outbreak response. 

Response time can determine whether an event remains contained locally or becomes a large-scale outbreak. 

The recent detection in Cameroon marks increased national leadership and resilience in Africa’s polio response, as countries now generate their own data and act quickly instead of relying solely on foreign labs. 

The expansion of laboratories and the use of advanced tools are improving the speed and effectiveness with which countries can detect and respond to poliovirus. In Africa, a large and interconnected region, these changes will demonstrate technical progress in disease detection and outbreak prevention. 

With each day saved in detection, more children are protected and Africa moves closer to its goal: a continent free of polio.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of World Health Organization (WHO) – Cameroon.

Source: APO

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President Cyril Ramaphosa has on behalf of the government and the people of South Africa, extended his warmest congratulations to Ms Sanae Takaichi on her election as Prime Minister of Japan, becoming the first woman in Japan’s history to hold this esteemed position.

South Africa and Japan share a long-standing partnership founded on mutual respect, cooperation, and shared aspirations for peace, prosperity, and sustainable development. 

The South African Government looks forward to working closely with Prime Minister Takaichi and her administration to further strengthen bilateral relations and collaboration across a range of areas, including trade and investment, education, science and technology, and people-to-people exchanges.

President Ramaphosa wishes Prime Minister Takaichi every success as she assumes her new responsibilities and leads Japan into a new era of progress and innovation.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of The Presidency of the Republic of South Africa.

Source: APO

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On October 22, Ambassador GAO Wenqi paid a courtesy call on Hon. Amb. Christine Nkulikiyinka, Minister of Public Service and Labour of Rwanda. They exchanged views on the human resource development cooperation between China and Rwanda in recent years. Counselor GAO Zhiqiang attended the meeting.

Amb. Gao expresses China’s willingness to deepen bilateral cooperation with Rwanda, strengthen capacity building in artificial intelligence and medical fields.

Christine appreciates the long-term support of China to the human resources development cooperation with Rwanda. She expresses her readiness to work with Chinese side to explore new opportunities for collaboration in more areas.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the Republic of Rwanda.