On January 28, the New Strategy Center, in partnership with the Egyptian Council on Foreign Affairs and with the support of the Embassy of Romania in Egypt, organized a roundtable in Cairo entitled “Comparative Strategic Perspectives and Foreign Policy Priorities: Romania and Egypt @120 Years.”

Ambassador Doru Costea, Member of the NSC Scientific Council and former Ambassador of Romania to Cairo, was a speaker at the event. In his remarks, Ambassador Doru Costea emphasized the opportunity to intensify dialogue between think tanks in Romania and Egypt, including through the expansion of cultural interaction, as also demonstrated by Romania’s status as Guest of Honor at the Book Fair.

There are areas where the views of NSC and ECFA analysts converge, such as those regarding the general trend toward a reconfiguration of power relations and changes in the concept of security, issues that are equally relevant for the sub-regions to which the two countries belong. From the NSC’s perspective, constant and open dialogue with partners from regions of interest to Romania is essential for gaining direct, mutual understanding of realities on the ground.

The event was organized in the symbolic year marking 120 years of diplomatic relations between Romania and Egypt and was part of a broader effort of strategic reflection, dialogue, and cooperation carried out under the concept “Books for Friends: From the Danube to the Nile.”

The panel was moderated by Clara Volintiru, State Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Romania. The other speakers were Mohamed Orabi, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Egypt; Khaled El-Emara, former Assistant Minister for European Affairs of Egypt; and Liliana Popescu, Professor at SNSPA, Romania.

The NSC is grateful to H.E. Olivia Toderean, Ambassador of Romania to Egypt, for the support provided.