President Goodluck Jonathan on Thursday in Islamabad commended the Egyptian President, Mohammed Morsi, for negotiating a ceasefire in the Israeli -Hamas conflict in Gaza strip.
Jonathan spoke when he received the Vice President of Egypt, Mr Mahmoud Mekki, on a courtesy call on the sideline of the summit of the Heads of State and Government of the Eight Developing Nations (D-8).
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Jonathan and Mekki were among the heads of delegation that attended the D-8 summit in Islamabad, the capital of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan
Jonathan noted that Egypt had shown real leadership, adding that its position in championing the course of peace in the region was worthy of commendation.
It will be recalled that Morsi had on Wednesday brokered a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas after eight days of shelling and devastation that led to the death of 162 Palestinians and 12 Israelis.
On the relations between Egypt and Nigeria, the President said both countries should work together for the progress of Africa.
He noted that Nigeria and Egypt have a long historic relationship and a lot of things in common that should be consolidated.
The President underscored the need for Egypt, Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya and Algeria to work together as a common force in advancing economic development in Africa.
He also expressed his intention to visit Egypt next year to further strengthen the relation between both countries and explore areas of mutual benefits.
Jonathan said ECOWAS was on top of finding a peaceful resolution to the crises in Northern Mali.
He noted that it was until all efforts at peaceful resolution of the crises fails that force might be used ultimately.
Earlier, Mekki had urged Jonathan to use Nigeria’s vantage position in ECOWAS in the peaceful resolution of the crises in Mali.
He said it was imperative to resolve the Malian crises peacefully to forestall the elements in the northern part of that country from becoming dangerous factor in the entire sub-region..
Mekki noted that the development could lead to the spread of the crises to Central Africa and the Arab nations.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Minister of Trade and Investment, Dr Olusegun Aganga also met with his Egyptian counterpart on how to promote trade and investments between both countries.
Both ministers agreed to explore the possibilities of expanding the meeting to include their colleagues from South Africa, Kenya and Algeria with a view to promoting of economic development in Africa.
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