Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi received Friday at Cairo International Airport Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, who is on a two-day official visit to Egypt.
The two leaders will discuss relations between Egypt and Qatar, ways to enhance them in all fields, and the latest international and regional political issues of mutual interest. They will also address activating joint Arab action.
Sheikh Tamim's visit is the first to Egypt in seven years. Relations between Cairo and Doha have resumed after the AlUla Agreement, in which Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the UAE, and Bahrain agreed to end their boycott of Qatar, which began in 2017.
Over the past months, relations between Egypt and Qatar have entered an advanced stage of reconciliation, expressed by frequent mutual visits at all levels.
The two countries also signed several cooperation agreements and memoranda of understanding in the political and economic fields.
Earlier in June, the Egyptian President invited Sheikh Tamim to visit Egypt, stressing the importance of ongoing consultations and advancing relations during the next stage. The invitation was delivered by Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry.
Sisi affirmed in the letter the importance of continuing to develop relations between the two countries into the next stage, adding that Egypt looks forward to continuing mutual steps to resume bilateral cooperation.
The President added that Egypt wanted to settle all outstanding issues and invited the Emir to visit Cairo at the earliest opportunity.
In May, the Qatari Foreign Minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, delivered an invitation from the Emir to Sisi to visit Doha.
Furthermore, Egyptian Finance Minister Mohamed Maait held a bilateral meeting with his Qatari counterpart, Ali bin Ahmed al-Kuwari, on the sidelines of their participation in the Qatar Economic Forum.
The two sides praised the tangible progress of the Egyptian-Qatari relations in a way that served the goals and interests of both countries and peoples.
They reiterated the importance of strengthening bilateral cooperation, developing relations, stimulating investments in the two countries, and developing joint action mechanisms.
The Egyptian statement noted that the two ministers reviewed the global economic scene, which has been affected by the coronavirus pandemic, and the repercussions of the war in Europe.
The cabinet statement quoted the Qatari Finance Minister as saying that the Egyptian-Qatari relations are "brotherly and historical" and that Doha is the leading investor in Egypt in many domains.
Cairo and Doha had previously announced an agreement on a set of investments and partnerships in Egypt totaling $5 billion on the sidelines of the Foreign Minister's recent visit, accompanied by some Qatari officials.
Last March, Sisi received the Qatari Foreign Minister. He valued the "tangible progress" in Egyptian-Qatari relations, which would "serve the goals and interests of the two countries and peoples," enhancing efforts to maintain security and stability in the Arab region.
Sheikh Mohammed expressed the Emir's keenness to consolidate the close brotherly ties between the two countries to reinforce the region's security and stability, as well as his appreciation for the President's efforts to advance joint Arab action and safeguard regional peace and security at this critical phase.
Sisi met the Emir on several occasions since the relations were restored, including last February on the sidelines of the opening of the Winter Olympics in Beijing, Baghdad last August, and on the sidelines of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow.
Last November, Egypt's ambassador to Doha, Amr El-Sherbiny, presented his credentials to Sheikh Tamim.
A statement by the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs noted that Sherbiny conveyed the greetings of the President to the Emir and underscored the new phase of bilateral ties and the joint will to move those relations forward towards further cooperation based on mutual interests.
For his part, Sheikh Tamim also sent his greetings to Sisi, hailing the developments in bilateral ties, according to the statement.
He also affirmed Qatar's interest in activating cooperation with Egypt in all fields and upgrading relations between the two countries.
The Egyptian President received the credentials of the Qatari ambassador in Cairo, Salem Mubarak al-Shafi, last September.
