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Sisi Travels to Budapest to Participate in Visegrad Summit

In this June 1, 2016, file photo, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi speaks during a press conference with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban at the presidential palace in Cairo, Egypt. (AP)
In this June 1, 2016, file photo, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi speaks during a press conference with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban at the presidential palace in Cairo, Egypt. (AP)
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Sisi Travels to Budapest to Participate in Visegrad Summit

In this June 1, 2016, file photo, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi speaks during a press conference with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban at the presidential palace in Cairo, Egypt. (AP)
In this June 1, 2016, file photo, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi speaks during a press conference with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban at the presidential palace in Cairo, Egypt. (AP)

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi arrived in Budapest on Monday to participate in the Visegrad Group (V4) summit. The V4 comprises the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia.

This is the second time since 2017 that Egypt participates in the summit.

Presidential Spokesman Bassam Radi said Egypt’s participation reveals the keenness to develop relations and address issues of mutual concern.

He added that the visit also reflects the deeply rooted ties between Cairo and Budapest.

Radi said the summit is expected to tackle a host of issues, including Egypt's role in the Middle East, cooperation in combating terrorism, illegal migration and energy security.

The talks will also address means of promoting trade, investment and tourism relations along with means to develop cooperation between Egypt and European Union countries, which are members of the Visegrad bloc.

The spokesman noted that Sisi is scheduled to hold talks with senior Hungarian officials, including President Janos Ader and Prime Minister Viktor Orban, on ways of bolstering political and economic ties, as well as international and regional cooperation.

The Visegrad Group was formed in 1991.

According to the State Information Service, Egypt was the first Middle Eastern and African country to take part in the summit.

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Al-Mashhadani Fills Two-Year Vacancy as Iraq’s Parliament Speaker

Iraqi lawmakers cast their votes to elect the parliament speaker on October 31, 2024 (Parliament Media)
Iraqi lawmakers cast their votes to elect the parliament speaker on October 31, 2024 (Parliament Media)
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Al-Mashhadani Fills Two-Year Vacancy as Iraq’s Parliament Speaker

Iraqi lawmakers cast their votes to elect the parliament speaker on October 31, 2024 (Parliament Media)
Iraqi lawmakers cast their votes to elect the parliament speaker on October 31, 2024 (Parliament Media)

The Iraqi parliament elected veteran politician Mahmoud al-Mashhadani as its new speaker on Thursday, ending a two-year vacancy in the position.
During the voting session, lawmakers considered candidates including al-Mashhadani, Salim al-Aisawi, Talal al-Zubai, and Amer Abdul Jabbar.
In the first round, 271 members voted, with al-Mashhadani receiving 153 votes and al-Aisawi getting 95. The Iraqi constitution requires an absolute majority—more than half of the 329 members—to win the speakership.
As a result, a second round of voting was held with 269 lawmakers participating. Al-Mashhadani won decisively, securing 182 votes to officially become the speaker of parliament.
Political sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that lawmakers from the State of Law coalition, led by Nouri al-Maliki, supported al-Mashhadani, creating an unusual alliance with former parliament speaker Mohammed al-Halbousi.
Al-Halbousi, who leads the Takadum (Progress) Party representing the Sunni majority, held lengthy talks with Sunni leaders late Wednesday into Thursday. These discussions reportedly resulted in a consensus to nominate al-Mashhadani.
Initially, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan opposed al-Mashhadani’s election. However, he spoke with the party’s parliament members just hours before the vote, easing their objections.
Hours before the voting session, al-Mashhadani called on political blocs to support his candidacy to end a long-standing crisis. In contrast, rival al-Aisawi urged lawmakers to protect democracy by resisting any pressure on their political choices.
Parliamentary sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that al-Maliki and al-Halbousi arrived at the parliament before the second round of voting to rally support for al-Mashhadani, including from Sunni lawmakers who initially backed al-Aisawi.
Lawmakers had repeatedly failed to elect a parliament speaker due to deep divisions within the Sunni bloc and attempts by Shia factions to push for a single Sunni candidate.
The Shiite “Coordination Framework” controls the 329-member parliament, despite differing views among its leaders.
Al-Mashhadani, a physician with an Islamic background, has re-entered the political scene nearly 16 years after his removal as speaker of the Iraqi parliament.
Born in Baghdad in 1948, he completed his education there before attending medical school in 1966. He graduated and became a first lieutenant in the Iraqi army in 1972, serving as a physician.
Elected as parliament speaker on Thursday, al-Mashhadani is the first legislative leader in Iraq since 2003 and previously held the position of president of the Arab Parliament Union in 2008.