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| ▲ South Korea's Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo (L) and his Egyptian counterpart, Hassan El-Khatib, pose for a photo as they hold up a joint statement on the two countries' commitment to push ahead with negotiations for a comprehensive economic partnership agreement, in this photo provided by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources on Jan. 18, 2026. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
S Korea-Egypt-CEPA negotiations
S. Korea, Egypt agree to push for CEPA talks
SEOUL, Jan. 19 (Yonhap) -- South Korean Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo and his Egyptian counterpart officialized the two countries' commitment to push forward with negotiations for a comprehensive economic partnership agreement (CEPA), Yeo's office said Monday.
Yeo and Hassan El-Khatib, Egypt's trade minister, signed a joint statement agreeing to push ahead with the CEPA negotiations during Yeo's visit to the Middle Eastern country Sunday (local time), according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources.
A CEPA is a type of free trade agreement that emphasizes a broader scope of economic cooperation and exchanges in addition to market opening.
South Korea and Egypt agreed to commence negotiations for such an agreement during their bilateral summit held in November.
Yeo also met with Walid Gamal El-din, the chairman of the Suez Canal Economic Zone, and discussed business partnerships.
He, in particular, emphasized that Qualifying Industrial Zones (QIZs) in the Suez Canal region could serve as a new production hub for Korean companies planning to enter the U.S. market.
QIZs are special free trade zones in Jordan, Egypt and the Palestinian territories that allow products containing input from Israel to be exported to the United States duty-free.
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