Egypt’s Sisi Makes 1st Visit to Qatar Since Restoring Relations

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi is scheduled to visit Qatar, his first visit in four years. Sisi will meet with Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani on Tuesday.

The two leaders last met in Cairo in June, the first meeting since the two countries restored relations in January 2021. Saudi and Egyptian companies signed agreements worth $7.7 billion during that visit. Egypt joined the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain in cutting relations with Qatar in 2017, alleging that Qatar supported terrorism due to its support of the Muslim Brotherhood.

Qatar’s Ambassador to Egypt and to the Arab League Salem Mubarak Al Shafi called the visit significant, and said that it comes “within the framework of the positive momentum witnessed in the relations between Doha and Cairo,” according to the Qatar News Agency. He said that the visits “build the foundations of bilateral relations, paving the way for an expanded future cooperation that achieves the mutual interests of the two countries.”