Egypt’s president receives Qatar’s emir at Cairo’s Ittihadiya Palace

CAIRO – 25 June 2022: Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi received on Saturday morning Qatar’s Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani at Al-Ittihadiya Palace in Cairo.

This comes as the Qatari emir has paid Egypt an official visit starting Friday, the first since the two countries agreed on resuming bilateral relations in January last years after more than three years of diplomatic rift.

During the meeting, the two leaders will hold bilateral talks on the aspects of the bilateral relations between the two brotherly countries and means of enhancing these relations in various fields, Presidential Spokesman Bassam Radi said.

The Cairo meeting will also address developments of regional and international political issues of mutual concern, the spokesman added.

Sisi received on Friday the Qatari emir at the Cairo International Airport on his first visit to Egypt since the rift, which started in 2017 between Qatar and the quartet of Egypt, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and UAE.

In June last year, Sisi sent an invitation to the emir to visit Egypt at the earliest opportunity, according to a statement by the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The invitation was sent by Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry in Doha.

In February, both leaders met on the sidelines of the opening ceremony of the 24th Winter Olympics Beijing.

They also met in August 2021 for the first time in more than four years since severing ties on the sidelines of the “Baghdad Cooperation and Partnership’ conference.

The meeting comes few days after Egyptian Minister of Finance Mohamed Maait and his Qatari counterpart Ali bin Ahmed Al Kuwari signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on the sidelines of the Qatar Economic Forum to foster joint cooperation.

The MoU seeks to coordinate financial visions, positions, and policies at the bilateral level and in international forums.

It is also meant to exchange expertise in the fields of taxation, customs and financial policies in a way that contributes to achieving economic and development goals.

Qatari FM visit

Sisi met last march with Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani in Cairo, where the former hailed Qatar's major role in facing the Arab nation's challenges.

Sisi also stressed the strong bonds between Egypt and Gulf's security.

The president valued the remarkable progress in Egyptian-Qatari relations, which will serve the two countries' peoples' interests, asking for conveying his greetings to the Qatari emir.

Meanwhile, Sheikh Mohammed lauded Egypt's pivotal role in the region as a main pillar for the Arab world's security and stability, as well as its keenness to bolster solidarity among the Arab countries.

During Sheikh Mohammed’s visit, Cairo and Doha agreed on $5 billion in Qatari investments in Egypt. The two countries also agreed on establishing a joint higher committee.

The recent bilateral visits between the two countries come after rounds of bilateral talks to restore their relations.