By SAMMY JULIAN
Manila News Bureau Chief
MANILA – The Philippines is scheduled to ink three agreements with Egypt to bolster bilateral relations between the two countries.
According to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), the agreements will be signed during the official visit of Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert Del Rosario to Cairo, Egypt.
To be signed by del Rosario and Egyptian Foreign Minister Nabil Fahmy are the Memorandum of Understanding on Tourism Cooperation and the Visa Waiver Agreement for Holders of Diplomatic Passports.
The two officials will also witness the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Federation of Egyptian Chambers of Commerce.
Del Rosario will also brief his Egyptian counterpart on the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) and on regional developments, such as the West Philippine Sea issue and the outcome of the 24th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in Myanmar on May 11.
The two foreign ministers will also exchange views on the situation in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).
The Philippines and Egypt established diplomatic relations in 1946.
The Philippines opened an embassy in Cairo in the 1960s, the only Philippine post in the Arab and African region until mid-1970s.
Egypt opened its borders to 3,000 transiting Filipinos who were evacuated from Libya in 2011./PN
