Egypt’s Foreign Minister Heads to Qatar for First Time Following Reconciliation

Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry traveled from Cairo to Doha, Qatar on Sunday to send a message from President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi to Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani.

According to a statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the letter reflects the positive Egyptian-Qatari relations following the signing of the ‘Al-Ula Reconciliation Agreement’ on 5 January earlier this year, and asserts that these relations will continue to develop over the years to achieve mutual interest for both countries.

Ambassador Ahmed Hafez, the official spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stated that during the visit, the Minister will participate in the consultative meeting of Arab foreign ministers, which aims to foster coordination in light of the growing challenges facing the Arab countries and the regional environment.

The statement added that Minister Sameh Shoukry will also participate in the session of the Arab League Council at the ministerial level to discuss the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam issue, which is being held at the request of Egypt and Sudan.

The Minister will also participate in the first meeting of the Palestine Committee, and will hold a session of talks with the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Qatar, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani.

Egypt recently made a new appeal to the United Nations Security Council to push Ethiopia to engage in the negotiations on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), as Egypt rejects Ethiopia’s unilateral measures on the filling of the mega dam and calls for necessity to reach a binding agreement on the filling and operation of the dam that guarantees the interests of Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia.

Al-Ula reconciliation agreement is a newly reached accord between Qatar and the Arab Quartet nations—Egypt, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain, which was signed in the beginning of this year.

The agreement comes after years of hostile relations between the Arab Quartet nations and Qatar, which led to a diplomatic crisis that began in 2017 when the four nations severed diplomatic relations with Qatar and imposed an embargo; banning Qatar-registered planes and ships.