Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi is heading to Qatar to attend the 2022 FIFA World Cup opening ceremony on Sunday, 20 November.
Presidential Spokesman Bassam Rady explains that the participation of President Al-Sisi comes after an invitation from Qatar Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, following diplomatic reconciliation between the two countries.
– الرئيس المصري عبد الفتاح السيسي سيتوجه إلى قطر اليوم لحضور حفل افتتاح بطولة كأس العالم FIFA قطر 2022 تلبيةً لدعوة الشيخ تميم بن حمد آل ثاني أمير دولة قطر .#كأس_العالم_قطر_2022 | #FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/2PeXQexC85
— كأس العالم قطر 2022 (@QusaiWorldCup) November 20, 2022
Egypt and Qatar’s relationship has gradually improved throughout the years, reaching effective progress when Egypt, along with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain, signed the Al-Ula agreement in January 2021 to formally renew diplomatic relations with Qatar.
The diplomatic freeze between the two countries thawed over the years, with Al-Thani’s visit to Egypt on 26 June 2022 and Al-Sisi’s visit to Qatar on 13 September 2022 – their first since the diplomatic discord.
Both leaders have met to reaffirm their commitment to bolstering economic and political cooperation between the two countries.
In June of 2017, Egypt, as well as Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Yemen, had cut diplomatic ties with Qatar in , citing charges of Qatar supporting terrorism, in reference to Islamist groups, despite Qatar denying the allegations.
Since Al-Thani’s visit to Egypt in June 2022, cooperation between the two countries increased, mostly evidently in Qatar’s EGP 96 billion (USD 5 billion) investment in Egypt to further foster economic relations between the two states.
According to a statement by the presidency, Al-Sisi and Al-Thani also signed on 14 September three Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with the aim of strengthening Egypt’s and Qatar’s relations.
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