Egyptian president to meet Joe Biden at Saudi Arabia summit in July 2022

CAIRO – 14 June 2022: The Royal Diwan of Saudi Arabia announced Tuesday that U.S. President Joe Biden would attend on July 16 a summit encompassing the heads of state of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, as well as Egypt, Jordan, and Iraq.

The American president's visit to Saudi Arabia will begin on July 15 where meetings with King Salman Bin Abdel Azizi Al Saud, and the deputy prime minister, Crown Prince Mohamed Bin Salman, will take place.  

Biden's tour in the Middle East also comprises Israel and Palestine, as his arrival is set for July 13.

The last direct contact between Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi and US President Joe Biden was on May 24, 2021. That is when the latter called the former to discuss the failure of negotiations – among Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan - on reaching a legally binding agreement on the filling and operation of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).

“Both presidents agreed to intensify diplomatic efforts in the coming period to reach an agreement that preserves water and development rights for all parties,” the Egyptian Presidency's statement indicated.

The US President had also affirmed that his country would deploy efforts to ensure Egypt's water security would not be put in jeopardy.

The first phone call between the two presidents took place on May 20, 2021, after Egypt had brokered a ceasefire, which was endorsed by the United States, between Israel and Gaza Strip.