Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi is heading to the UAE on Monday on a two-day official trip.
While parliamentarians said the visit would focus on the reconciliation between the Palestinian factions and the stance regarding the ongoing crisis with Qatar, Egyptian Presidency spokesperson Ambassador Alaa Youssef, said Sisi would discuss the close bilateral ties between the two states, as well as various regional and international issues.
“The president will discuss with senior UAE officials close bilateral relations between the two countries, as well as cooperation on a number of issues including combating terrorism along with regional and international crises,” Youssef said in a statement.
He also noted that the visit “reflects the two countries’ keenness to consult one another on the current challenges faced by the region today,” according to the statement.
In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper, Political Analyst for Regional Affairs, MP Samir Ghattas, said reconciliation between Fatah and Hamas will be on the agenda of the Egyptian president’s talks in the UAE.
He pointed out that the road was still long before the completion of the Palestinian reconciliation, which should be considered by Cairo and Abu Dhabi, especially in light of Hamas’ insistence on the handover of the Gaza Strip to the Palestinian Authority to get rid of the burdens of salaries and electricity bills.
For his part, member of the Arab affairs parliamentary committee, Sameh Habib, told Asharq Al-Awsat that the Qatari crisis was one of the main focal points of coordination among the four major countries boycotting Doha (Saudi Arabia, Egypt, UAE and Bahrain), noting that Sisi’s visit to the UAE would yield tangible and strong results with regards to forcing Qatar to respond to the demands of the Anti-Terrorism Quartet.
Separately, Egypt’s Prime minister Sherif Ismail issued an order on Sunday revoking the nationality of three Egyptians for taking Israeli citizenship without a permit.
According to the provisions of Law No. 26 of 1975 regulating the Egyptian nationality, “an Egyptian may not become a foreign citizen unless he obtains a permit issued by a decision of the Minister of the Interior.”
