Arab and regional observers have turned their eyes towards Egypt’s northwestern coastal city of New Alamein, where the North African state is expected to hold a five-way summit that will see the participation of leaders from Egypt, the UAE, Jordan, Bahrain, and Iraq.
Meanwhile, UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan held a summit in New Alamein with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi on Sunday to discuss bilateral cooperation as well as a host of regional and international issues.
The two leaders also agreed during the summit on the importance of bolstering Arab joint efforts to confront common challenges facing the Arab World, Egypt's presidential spokesman Bassam Rady said in a statement.
They called for coordinated efforts to find long-term solutions to regional crises to bring about security, stability and peace for the region and its peoples, it added.
They also vowed to strengthen the strategic partnership between the two countries, especially on the economy and development, to support their aspirations towards achieving sustainable development, progress and prosperity, according to the statement.
Local Egyptian media, including the semi-official channel Extra News, quoted a source it described as “informed” that “the leaders of Egypt, the UAE, Jordan, Bahrain and Iraq will hold an upcoming summit in the city of New Alamein.”
However, the source did not specify the date.
Extra News reported that the quint summit will be held upon the invitation of Sisi and under the framework of coordination among nations.
The summit chiefly aims to serve common Arab work and promote Arab-Arab relations in the face of international and regional challenges.
In the past few months, meetings of several Arab leaders were held in different locations.
In June, Egypt, Bahrain, and Jordan agreed in a summit held in Sharm El-Sheikh on the importance of strengthening ties between the three nations to “the highest levels”, especially amid the international and regional challenges.
During the summit, Sisi said Egypt aspires to further cooperation with Bahrain and Jordan to achieve the common interests of the peoples of the three nations as well as boost joint Arab action, particularly amid great challenges of multiple regional and international developments.
The Bahraini and Jordanian kings praised "the inextricable" ties binding the three countries, stressing their keenness to elevate cooperation with Egypt to the level of strategic partnership.
