UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres praised on Saturday economic reforms carried out by Egypt and the efforts exerted by its government to improve the investment environment and empower women.

Guterres made the remarks at a closed ministerial meeting on financing climate change.

The meeting was held on the sidelines of the 2018 Annual Meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank, organized in Indonesia’s Bali city.

The UN chief praised Egypt’s pivotal role in the Middle East under the leadership of President Abdel Fattah El Sisi.

He also stressed his keenness to boost cooperation between Cairo and the UN to maintain security, peace and development in the Middle East.

The meeting was attended by President of the World Bank Group Jim Yong Kim, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund Christine Lagarde and Egyptian Minister of Investment and International Cooperation Sahar Nasr.

During the meeting, Nasr affirmed that Egypt aims to increase projects in environment-friendly sectors, including new and renewable energy, in addition to sustainable infrastructure and agriculture.

The minister also indicated that Egypt has the Middle East’s largest solar power plant, noting in this regard that 11 plants were set up in Aswan’s village of Benban with total investments of $730 million.