Qatar’s Emir, Egypt’s el-Sisi Meet in Cairo After Long Rift
Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani met on Saturday with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi in Cairo, the first meeting between the two countries since restoring relations last year following a five-year rift fomented by Saudi Arabia. It was the first visit for the emir to Cairo since 2015.
They discussed developing cooperation “in various fields, especially in the energy and agriculture sectors”, and in trade and investment, “particularly the flow of Qatari investments towards Egypt”, according to a statement issued by the Egyptian presidency following the meeting. No new agreements were announced during the visit.
Saudi and Egyptian companies signed agreements worth $7.7 billion during the visit, according to reports.
Since relations were restored between the two countries last year, the emir and el-Sisi have met twice on the sidelines of summits abroad. In late March, Cairo announced that Doha would invest $5 billion in Egypt and QatarEnergy announced an agreement with ExxonMobil to acquire a 40% stake in a gas exploration venture off Egypt in the Mediterranean.
