CAIRO: Egypt said on Thursday it would invest 5.23 billion Egyptian pounds ($315 million) in the Sinai Peninsula in fiscal 2019-20, a 75% rise on the year, in a venture officials say is intended to stabilize a region hit by violence from armed groups.
The Planning Ministry, which directed 2.986 billion pounds in investments to Sinai in the 2018-19 fiscal year, said in response to a Reuters question that the 2019-20 investments would be “general investments directed to all sectors.”
Egypt has been fighting an insurgency led by Daesh and concentrated in the peninsula’s north since the military overthrew President Mohamed Mursi of the Muslim Brotherhood in mid-2013 after mass protests against his rule.
The government hopes investing in the region will help curb extremism and bring stability by reducing higher-than-average unemployment.
North Sinai will receive 2.85 billion pounds of the investments, while South Sinai will take 2.38 billion pounds, Planning Minister Hala Al-Saeed said in a statement.
“The investments in North Sinai are in education, water, agriculture, irrigation, transport, storage, real estate activities and construction projects,” Saeed said.
South Sinai investments will be “in the agriculture, irrigation, transport, education and other services sectors,” she said.
An aide to President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi said last year that the Sinai development plan is expected to cost 275 billion Egyptian pounds and be completed by 2022, calling it “a project for national security.”
Egypt raises Sinai investment by 75% in 2019-20
Egypt raises Sinai investment by 75% in 2019-20
- North Sinai will receive 2.85 billion pounds of the investments, while South Sinai will take 2.38 billion pounds, Planning Minister Hala Al-Saeed said
- An aide to President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi said last year that the Sinai development plan is expected to cost 275 billion Egyptian pounds and be completed by 2022
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia agree to boost security, counterterrorism ties
- Talal Chaudhry meets Saudi deputy interior minister during visit to Riyadh, calls for regular engagement
- Pakistan and Saudi Arabia signed a joint defense pact last year, formalizing long-standing military relations
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Saudi Arabia agreed on Tuesday to enhance cooperation on security and counterterrorism, said an official statement, as Pakistan’s Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry met Saudi Deputy Interior Minister Abdulaziz bin Mohammed bin Ayyaf in Riyadh.
The meeting comes against the backdrop of deepening defense and security ties between the two countries. Pakistan and Saudi Arabia last year signed a bilateral defense accord that elevated long-standing military cooperation into a formal security commitment, with both sides pledging to treat aggression against one as a threat to the other.
“Continuous engagement between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia is essential for peace and stability in the region,” Chaudhry said in a statement released after the meeting, which also noted an understanding to strengthen security and counterterrorism cooperation.
He also represented Pakistan at the World Defense Show 2026, a major international exhibition hosted in Riyadh that brings together governments, armed forces and global defense manufacturers.
During the visit, the Pakistani minister also conveyed greetings on behalf of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi to the Saudi leadership ahead of the holy month of Ramadan, which begins later this month.
