Chantal Fouad

DUBAI: Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi, Egypt’s current president, ordered a new bridge to be built, which links major roads in the capital, to be named after Japan’s longest serving prime minister ABE Shinzo in 2020.

Since 1954 cooperation between Japan and Egypt has been significant; with Japan providing the first technical aid followed by the grant aid in 1973 and multiple ones to follow.

Bilateral relations has always been reciprocated since 1977 when the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Egypt office was first established; both countries strive to promote regional and international stability and development.

Following ABE’s visit to Egypt in 2015 and El-Sisi’s visit to Japan’s capital in 2016, both leaders declared the “Japan Egypt joint statement”, which was considered the first step towards further enhancement of the existing strategic relationship particularly in the fields of education, electricity, and health via exchanging agreements such as the Egypt Japan education partnership.

Japan continued to provide cooperation to Egypt and some of the major symbolic cooperation projects are the Cairo opera, Cairo university specialized pediatric hospital, and the Grand Egyptian museum.

El-Sisi urged adopting an advanced engineering and construction plan to be done on the Shinzo Abe axis east of Cairo, due to its significance.

The eight-kilometre-long axis will be of utmost importance as it will aid in organizing traffic in the eastern Cairo region and linking eastern districts with new Cairo and the new administrative capital; it also has a pedestrian bridge finished in traditional Japanese architectural design.

The decision to name the bridge after the late prime minister came a month after ABE’s resignation from his post due to health conditions.

Through continued cooperation between both countries, JICA will proceed with providing support to aid in the development of Egypt and hence further solidifying bilateral relations.