Special day for Egyptian diplomacy amid high-level visits to Turkey, Syria, Qatar

CAIRO – 27 February 2023: Egypt’s diplomacy saw intensified activity on Monday as Minister of Foreign Affairs Sameh Shoukry made a visit to quake-hit Syria and Turkey to extend a message of solidarity and as Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouli made a “work trip” to Qatar.

On Sunday, the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that Shoukry will head to Syria and Turkey to extend a message of solidarity to both countries in the wake of the devastating 7.8 magnitude quake, which has killed over 50,000 people and displaced millions.

Shoukry’s visit to Turkey and Syria is the visit by an Egyptian foreign minister in a decade.

‘Historic Egyptian-Syrian ties’

During his visit to Syria, Shoukry met with President Bashar El-Assad in the headquarters of the Syrian Foreign Ministry, where they held consultations on the historic Egyptian-Syrian relations.

During the meeting, Assad thanked Egypt for the aid that it provided to Syria to support the Syrian government’s relief efforts, affirming that Syria is keen on maintaining its relations with Egypt, the Syrian Presidency said in a statement.

The Syrian president also highlighted the need to look at the Egyptian-Syrian relations from a general perspective within a natural and historic framework for these relations.

Work to improve the relations between the Arab countries on the bilateral level is the basis for improving the Arab situation in general, Assad said during his meeting with Shoukry.

Assad also praised the way Egypt deals with Syrians on its land, saying that Egypt has not dealt with them as refugees. Instead, the Egyptian people have embraced them in all regions, which affirm the ties bringing the two peoples together and the noble values of the Egyptian people, Assad stressed.

The Syrian president also voiced appreciation for the phone call that Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi made with him in the wake of the quake, saying he praises the brotherly feelings that he felt during the call, the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported.

For his part, Shoukry hailed the Egyptian-Syrian relations as a main cornerstone in protecting Arab provinces, affirming that Egypt would always endorse all efforts to support Syria and serve the interests of the brotherly Syrian people.

The top Egyptian diplomat also highlighted the bonds linking the Syrian and Egyptian peoples, affirming that the Syrians residing in Egypt have shown great capability to live in harmony with the Egyptian society and have achieved great success in their work in various fields.

“I carry a message of solidarity from the Egyptian government and people to sisterly Syria and we are ready to introduce more to alleviate the suffering of the brotherly Syrian people,” the Egyptian Foreign Ministry quoted Shoukry as saying during the meeting.

6th batch of aid to Turkey

After his Syria visit, Shoukry headed to Turkey where he was received by Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu in Adana Airport.

Later, Shoukry and Cavusoglu headed to Mersin port to receive Egypt’s sixth shipment of relief aid to Turkey as part of the Egyptian efforts to help deal with the consequences of the devastating earthquake.

During the visit, Shoukry offered condolences over the victims of the earthquake and affirmed solidarity of the Egyptian leadership, govt and people with Turkey.

The Egyptian foreign minister also asserted continuity of Egyptian aid to support Turkey and its brotherly people.

The Egyptian and Turkish foreign ministers held a bilateral meeting in Adana and also took a helicopter tour to check the areas affected by the earthquake.

‘Work trip’ to Doha

Meanwhile, the Egyptian premier, Madbouli, started an official visit to Qatar on Sunday to continue boosting the two countries’ relations, which were restored after the Al-Ula Declaration that Egypt and the Gulf countries signed in January 2021.

This is Madbouli’s first official visit to Qatar.

On Monday, Madbouli met with Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, who highlighted Qatar’s keenness to enhance the Egyptian-Qatari economic relations and boost Qatar’s investments in Egypt, the Cabinet said in a statement.

The Qatari emir affirmed that the coming period will witness a boost in the Qatari investments in Egypt and an increase in cooperation between the two countries in all possible fields.

Sheikh Tamim voiced Doha’s appreciation of the Egyptian community and families residing in Qatar, affirming that they are bound by unbreakable brotherhood ties with their Qatari brothers.

Also, Madbouli and his Qatari counterpart, Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdul Aziz Al Thani, witnessed the signing of an MoU between the Egyptian and Qatari governments in the field of eliminating double taxation regarding the income tax and preventing tax evasion or avoidance.

This agreement is consistent with the efforts of the Egyptian government aimed at creating a business environment that is more stimulating for investments and that encourages the local and foreign private sector to play a greater role in economic activity, the Cabinet said.

Madbouli held expanded talks with his Qatari counterpart, who affirmed that Doha looks forward to enhancing its relations with Egypt in all fields.

Sheikh Khalid added that holding the planned business forum between the two countries during the second quarter of 2023 represents a good opportunity to explore more fields of bilateral cooperation between their business communities.

The volume of trade exchange between the two countries has increased by 76.2 percent during the first 11 months of 2022 year on year to reach $80.1 million compared to $45.5 million during the same period of 2021, according to the Egyptian statistical agency CAPMAS.