Egypt, Serbia move to deepen cooperation in labor and employment sectors
Egyptian Minister of Labor Mohamed Gabran held a bilateral meeting with Milica Đurđević Stamenkovski, Minister of Labor, Employment, Veterans Affairs, and Social Affairs of the Republic of Serbia, to strengthen cooperation between the two countries in the fields of labor, employment, and labor mobility.
The meeting took place on the sidelines of the International Labor Market Conference currently being held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
During the meeting, Minister Gabran affirmed Egypt’s readiness to provide the Serbian labor market with trained and qualified Egyptian workers across a range of needed sectors and professions.
He highlighted the significant progress achieved in Egypt’s vocational training system, noting that recent developments have enhanced the competitiveness of Egyptian workers in regional and international labor markets.
Both sides agreed on a number of practical steps to advance bilateral cooperation. These include activating the memorandum of understanding signed between the two countries, forming a joint technical committee to coordinate labor market needs, and establishing a direct communication mechanism between the two labor ministries to ensure the swift and efficient exchange of data and information without intermediaries.
The discussions also addressed the possibility of accepting Egyptian workers—both seasonal and permanent—based on the needs of the Serbian labor market. This would involve identifying priority sectors and professions, as well as determining the required workforce numbers, in a manner that serves the interests of both countries and ensures an organized and well-regulated labor mobility framework.
The two ministers underscored the depth of Egyptian-Serbian relations, describing Serbia as a strategic partner for Egypt. They noted that these ties enjoy strong support from the political leadership in both countries, with governments working to translate this cooperation into concrete projects and partnerships across multiple sectors.
Minister Gabran also reviewed the Egyptian government’s efforts to open new labor markets for trained Egyptian workers in cooperation with international and local partners.
He pointed to initiatives such as the “Professional Assessment” system, which evaluates skill levels, and the Ministry’s “Pre-Departure Guidance Unit,” which raises workers’ awareness of their rights and responsibilities, in line with the directives of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi.
For her part, Minister Đurđević Stamenkovski expressed appreciation for Egypt’s leading role at the Arab and African levels. She praised the existing cooperation between the two countries and commended the level of coordination and mutual understanding in labor mobility. She also welcomed ongoing efforts to develop a new mechanism to facilitate the transfer of trained Egyptian workers to the Serbian labor market in a way that benefits both sides.
The meeting concluded with an emphasis on continued coordination and consultation in the coming period, building on the agreements reached to support employment opportunities, expand areas of cooperation, and further strengthen the strategic partnership between Egypt and Serbia in the labor sector.
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