German Foreign Minister Annalena Birbock assured her Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry that there will be no exceptions to the "restrictive policy" of German arms exports except in justified individual cases, and after a careful review, the human rights situation will have an important role in it.
"We talked frankly about civil society, the human rights situation, and individual cases," Birbock said - in a press conference after her meeting with Shoukry in Cairo.
She added that she had held talks with Minister Shoukry on a number of files of common interest, stressing that Egypt is the most important partner for her country in the Arab region and North Africa, and that the developments in Libya were extensively discussed during the talks session.
The minister also referred to the partnership between Egypt and Germany and the forms of cooperation between the two countries in several fields, pointing out that there are about 400,000 people who speak German in Egypt as the second most spoken language in the country.
On the other hand, the Egyptian Foreign Minister confirmed that the human rights file in the two countries was discussed during the talks session, stressing the importance of non-interference in the internal affairs of any country.
He pointed out that he explained to the German minister what the Egyptian state is doing to provide all means of care for its citizens in all fields.
He added, "Egypt does not make relations with other countries conditional. The basis is mutual respect and non-interference in internal affairs."
Shoukry acknowledged that Cairo went to Germany to obtain weapons to protect its national security and borders, stressing that Egypt's contribution to security and stability in the region has a direct impact on security in Europe.
Yesterday, Friday, the German minister began her first visit to Egypt, since taking office last November, as part of a tour of the Middle East that also includes Jordan, to discuss developments in regional and international issues.