Egypt, Qatar hold 1st joint military meeting

CAIRO – 18 March 2023: Egypt and Qatar held, on Saturday, their first meeting of the Joint Military Committee in Cairo after the relations between both countries resumed n January 5, 2021, following the signing of Al-Ula Declaration, which ended a four-year bitter estrangement against Qatar.

The meeting was attended by Chief of Staff of the Egyptian Armed Forces Lieutenant General Osama Askar and his Qatari counterpart Lieutenant General Salem bin Hamad bin Mohammed bin Aqeel Al Nabit, and his accompanying delegation, who is currently visiting Egypt.

An official reception ceremony was held for the Qatari delegation at the headquarters of the General Secretariat of the Ministry of Defense, while the national anthems of both countries were played.

The meeting tackled a number of issues of common concern in light of the military cooperation relations between the armed forces of both countries in many fields, according to a statement from the Egyptian Ministry of Defense.

 

At the end of the meeting, both Chiefs signed the minutes of the committee in the presence of a number of commanders of the armed forces of both countries.

Askar highlighted the importance of the increase in military cooperation and exchange of experiences between the two sides, noting that there is a consensus of visions on joint plans for the benefit of the armed forces of the two brotherly countries.

 

Nabit was on the same page when it comes to furthering cooperation in the military and training fields during the next stage to achieve the interests of the armed forces of both countries, the statement added.

Both Chiefs of Staff inspected a number of industrial units affiliated with the Armed Forces such as production lines in the Engineering Industries Complex in the Military Vehicles Department, the statement continued.

They also visited the headquarters of the Air Force College, Naval Special Units, and the Alexandria shipyard company.

 

In late February, Egyptian Prime Minister Moustafa Mabouly visited Qatar where a number of agreements in various fields were signed to enhance bilateral cooperation.

In September 2022, al-Sisi headed to Doha for an official two-day visit, the first of this kind to Qatar, in response to an invitation addressed to him by Qatar’s Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, former spokesperson for the Egyptian Presidency Bassam Rady announced.

The visit is the culmination of recent intensive mutual discussions between the two countries, with the aim of strengthening joint bilateral cooperation at all levels, Rady added.