Söder visits Egypt: "An exciting country"

Bavaria's Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) is visiting Egypt this week. As the State Chancellery informed BR, Söder will set off on the three-day trip on Wednesday. The Prime Minister told BR in advance that the trip will be about energy and orders for Bavarian companies.

Conversation with the Prime Minister

According to the State Chancellery, the program includes meetings with Egyptian Prime Minister Mustafa Madbuli and several ministers. Söder wants to speak to the Prime Minister in private first. A larger exchange is then planned, in which business representatives, for example from Siemens and the Association of Bavarian Business (vbw), will also take part.

"Green hydrogen to Europe and Bavaria"

"We want to discuss ideas together on how we can bring green hydrogen to Europe and Bavaria," said Söder. Egypt is an "exciting country, not only because of its culture, but also because of its security situation, but also because of its economic opportunities."

Mega-project "Suez Canal on rails"

Siemens is currently building a 2,000-kilometer-long high-speed railway line in Egypt that will connect the Mediterranean with the Red Sea. CEO Roland Busch spoke of the "Suez Canal on rails." The Bavarian visitors will visit the main train station under construction in Cairo together with Egypt's Transport Minister Kamel al-Wazir.

According to the State Chancellery, the program also includes the new "National Energy Control Center," which controls the region's electricity supply. The project will be shown to Söder and his companions by Energy Minister Mahmoud Esmat.

According to the State Chancellery, the visit continues Bavaria's Africa strategy, which was launched by the Söder cabinet in 2019. Bavaria has maintained an economic representation in Cairo since 2020.

Egypt’s economy half as strong as Bavaria’s

Egypt has around 111 million inhabitants and is the third largest economy in Africa. Its gross domestic product is around half that of the Free State. According to the State Chancellery, around 600 German companies, including Bavarian ones, and medium-sized companies, in addition to Siemens, are active in the country.

A German-Egyptian "hydrogen partnership" has existed since 2022. According to the Federal Ministry of Economics, "green" ammonia will be delivered by ship from the northeast African state for the first time in three years. It will then be converted into hydrogen in Germany. The European Union also wants to cooperate with Egypt on energy policy.

Meeting with President al-Sisi cancelled

The Bavarian Prime Minister was invited by Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, the State Chancellery further announced. The two last met in 2019 at the Munich Security Conference. However, the President is now abroad himself for a short time and therefore cannot receive the guest from Bavaria.

CSU leader Söder is the third Bavarian Prime Minister to visit Egypt. Edmund Stoiber and Franz Josef Strauß were there before him.