Forumul Economic Regional Moldova – 2024
FERM 2024 | Message from NADER Shebl Wahba ELGENDY, Head of the Consular Section at the Embassy of Egypt in Romania
Panel „INVESTMENTS”
Module VII – MESSAGES, XVIII Edition of the Moldova Regional Economic Forum, Vatra Dornei, 2024
SPEAKERS – NADER Shebl Wahba ELGENDY, Head of the Consular Section at the Embassy of Egypt in Romania
THEME: „Egyptian-Romanian Economic Relations”
Nader Shebl, Head of the Consular Section at the Embassy of Egypt in Romania, began his presentation by expressing gratitude to the organizers and highlighting the beauty of Romania and the hospitality of its people: „First of all, I would like to thank the organizers for giving us the opportunity to be here with you today. In fact, this is my fourth year here in Romania, and I feel that I have not yet finished exploring the beauty of this country. Congratulations on having such an amazing homeland, with wonderful nature and weather, and, most importantly, the warmest and kindest people ever met.”
Economic diplomacy, a bridge between nations
Nader Shebl emphasized the essential role of economic diplomacy in today’s diplomatic literature, noting that it has deep roots in the history of international relations: „Economic diplomacy is a vibrant term in today’s diplomatic literature, but in reality, it dates back in time. The entire diplomatic relationship and the foundation of consular relations began to protect and secure economic interests between countries. The movement of capital and goods occurs as naturally as the movement of human beings. It happened in the past, it is happening now, and it will continue to happen in the future. Our role as diplomats is to highlight the right opportunities for the right people and to connect them, as, as I said, economic relationships and interests are very important and play a crucial role in strengthening the ties between countries, nations, and people.”
Opportunities for cooperation in medical tourism
A major area of interest for Egypt is medical tourism, where the country has made significant progress, particularly in treating hepatitis C. „Egypt has established the largest medical tourism complex in the country, under the directives of His Excellency, the President of the Arab Republic of Egypt. […] Egypt has developed global expertise in treating hepatitis C.”
The Tour NQ program for European patients is a prime example, offering accessible treatment in Egypt: „Egypt has launched the Tour NQ program for European patients, who can spend a week in Egypt and visit the country. At the same time, they receive treatment for the virus at rates between $5,000 and $8,000, compared to possibly over $70,000 elsewhere.”
Green energy and green hydrogen
The Head of the Consular Section also highlighted Egypt’s immense potential in the field of energy, including green energy and green hydrogen: „There are also many areas of interest for bilateral economic cooperation between the two countries, such as the energy sector, green energy, solar panels, new projects, and the new trend everyone is talking about now, green hydrogen.” Nader Shebl is opening new investment and collaboration opportunities between Egypt and Romania, contributing to the sustainable development of both countries.
Conclusions and Perspectives
In conclusion, Nader Shebl expressed regret that he did not have enough time to discuss in detail all the investment and economic cooperation opportunities, but emphasized the commitment to continue this dialogue: „Unfortunately, we have limited time to discuss further the investment and economic opportunities that Egypt can offer or that can be discussed in Egypt. But again, I would like to express my gratitude and thanks for giving me this opportunity and for assisting us today.”
The Regional Economic Forum Moldova 2024 thus succeeded in highlighting not only the beauty of Romania but also the vast potential for economic and investment collaboration with Egypt, underscoring the importance of economic diplomacy in building strong and prosperous relations between nations.