Egypt announced on Saturday that it will host and organize an official G20 meeting for the first time since the group's establishment in 1999. The Egyptian Foreign Ministry stated that the meeting, scheduled for early September, will address regional and global food security issues.

The ministry revealed that Ambassador Ragy El-Etreby, the Egyptian President's Personal Representative to the G20 and Assistant Foreign Minister, finalized arrangements for Egypt to host the official G20 meeting. This agreement was reached during Egypt's participation as a guest country at the G20 Sherpas meeting held in South Africa from June 25-27.

Ambassador El-Etreby emphasized in the statement: "It's exceptionally rare for member states to approve holding a G20 meeting in a non-member country. This exception underscores Egypt's added value to the group's discussions and the priority given to economic diplomacy in Egypt's foreign policy."

The meeting will focus on examining food security issues at both regional and global levels - a top priority for Egypt, African nations, and the developing world. Discussions will address sustainable agriculture, industrial localization, regional and international trade, infrastructure development, technology transfer, financing, and other sustainable development topics.

The ambassador noted that Egypt values this "historic" agreement as evidence of South Africa's commitment, during its G20 presidency this year, to clearly represent African continent's aspirations and interests.